Blood, Sweat and Fears
by KhaleesiAnna
Summary: For two years Cammie has been the target of the unstoppable Circle of Cavan. She and those around her are in constant danger. As a last resort, to keep her safe she is sent to the last place anyone would think to look for her - Blackthorn. But Blackthorn isn't as safe as it seems. A story full of heartbreak, twists and turns, and a certain green eyed stranger. was called sanctuary
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, My name is Anna and welcome to my story! I hope you stay till the end! Its similar to Ally Carters amazing Gallagher Girls but with one major difference: Zach and Cammie have never met, there was no exchange between blackthorn and gallagher so they don't know about each other. This is gonna be a long dramatic story full of plot twists, heart break and mystery! Please give my story a chance- you wont regret it!**

 **i hope you like it and please review!**

 **Disclaimer: unfortunately I'm not Ally Carter and don't own Gallagher Girls, just the plot.**

Cam P.O.V.

If you are reading this, then you must have at least level 4 clearance, and know all about the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. That it's not exactly just a school for geniuses- although we do have many of those- it's a school for spies.

So, I wont bore you with the details of my wonderful school - you should know them already.

You may also have heard of me, I'm kinda famous in the spy world – or at least my codename is. I'm the Chameleon. The pavement artist.

You may be asking, "What's the _Chameleon_ doing at a girls school?"

Everyone assumes that Cameron Morgan is the name of a fully-grown, fully trained operative working for the CIA. But they're wrong. Nobody believes that a 17-year-old girl could be the legendary Chameleon, the CIA legacy, who could blend into a plain white wall and who's the target of an ancient terrorist organisation.

Well that's me, Cammie.

For the last year the Circle of Cavan had been after me. I still had few ideas about why they wanted me captured. Or dead. All I knew was that I had _something_ they wanted and they would kill to get it. My family, friends and all the people I care about have been put in danger trying to protect me.

At the beginning of summer my friends and I had secretly travelled to Rome, looking for more clues. It had resulted in a rescue team, a badly bruised Gallagher girl and still no more answers.

It's safe to say I was under very close supervision after that little stunt. My friends had been sent home and I was kept at Gallagher for the rest of summer. It was _not_ how I imagined I would be spending my holiday. I had left behind what little normal I had ever had in my life.

After Rome I had promised my mother I would stay safe. And that's exactly what I was going to do.

* * *

I sat at my favourite window seat in the mansion - it was inside a secret passageway that only I knew about. In a boarding school full of hundreds of girls it good to have a quiet place to slip away to.

But the truth is I didn't need some alone time- I'd had plenty of that all summer. Downstairs I could hear the crashes of dropped suitcases, the stampeding of feet and the squeals of 'hello's from girls that could only mean it was the start of a semester.

Normally I would be one of those girls downstairs but instead I was avoiding them. There were a few reasons. 1) I am the Chameleon and I like hiding. 2) No matter how much I hide people will notice the girl who is the target of an ancient terrorist organisation, who snuck away to Rome and who nearly died during summer. 3) I couldn't face my friends. Especially Bex.

I still haven't decided if I ever want to see Bex.

So I sat alone by my window seat for hours, until the smells of chef Louis amazing cooking led me to the grand hall.

I stopped outside the closed double doors, unable to go in. I could hear my mother inside, giving her normal welcoming speech so I knew the meal had started. If I walked in now everyone would see me, so I waited until I heard my mother stop taking and the knives and forks start to clash before I slipped into the grand hall.

Being the chameleon nobody noticed me until I was standing right next to the other seniors at our table. Tina, surprisingly, was the first to acknowledge me.

"Cammie!" she squealed, making heads turn "where have you been?"

The next thing I knew, Liz and Macey were hugging me within an inch of my life. I had to admit, it was good to see them.

Both my spy and girl brain were telling me that Bex wasn't at the table.

Macey caught me looking "she's not here yet- her flight was cancelled." She explained. In truth, I was relieved. "How are you Cam?"

I gave her the same answer I had given everyone over the past month. "I'm fine" but Macey is one of my best friends and knows when I'm lying.

"No Cammie," she said giving me a look " _really_ , how are you?"

I looked at her and she new the answer.

Over the rest of dinner we talked about our summers- well, their summers really, since everyone knew I had just spent mine at school. I heard all about Anna's time spent in South Africa, down in the closed goldmines with her parents, chasing some escaped convict. I heard about Courtney's new obsession with Scotland and everything Scottish and heard Tina say "according to my sources…" 26 times! It would have been a perfectly normal welcoming dinner if Professor Buckingham hadn't interrupted us.

"Cameron, follow me." She said in a clipped voice and walked away. I gave my friends a look and had no choice but to follow.

* * *

When you are a spy (or spy-in-training) you should always be aware of the situation you are putting yourself into. Which is exactly why I asked Buckingham questions, like any normal spy, not to mention girl would do. After trying –and failing – to find out where I was being taken I eventually just followed and stayed silent.

I wondered where Buckingham could possibly be taking me - sublevel 3? To a new secret passageway? To the underground ski resort rumoured to have been built _under_ the lake over summer? Although that last one is less likely to be true and more likely to be a creation of Tina Walters…

But I was disappointed. Buckingham took me to none other than my mother's office.

"Sit down and stay put" she ordered "I'll be back soon" and she shut the door.

I took a seat on the couch where I had been sitting not twelve hours before;

When my mom had arrived back at the school earlier that day I and had literally sprinted to see her. She had been gone for so long and the last time I had seen her was in Rome… after a long talk she had made me promise to stay safe - and that's what I planned to do.

I thought everything had been sorted in the morning- what more could my Mom have to tell me now?

* * *

Zach P.O.V.

I sat alone in the grand hall eating my bacon and eggs. If there is one thing Blackthorn's good at, it's breakfast. Of coarse, that's not the only thing Blackthorn's good at - it also produces the finest spies and assassins in the country - not that anyone without level four clearance knows that. Everyone else thinks we're just a bunch of disturbed, violent, criminals with nowhere else to go, except for the Blackthorn Institute for 'troubled young men'.

That's not me though. I'm Zachary Goode, the best spy-in-training in my year. Scratch that, the best in the _school_ – and I know it.

Writing's not really my thing. I prefer to be out on the field or on a mission to writing the paperwork required afterwards. But now, in my senior year, all of our teachers are urging us to write down our missions and lives.

My first thought was, there is no way in hell that I'm writing a diary – Zachary Goode is not really the _dear diary_ type - but then we were told that this will be 22% of our cove-ops final grade. So yeah, I don't really have a choice. Thanks Dr Steve.

Some people- like Jonas- have been writing these things since they started at Blackthorn. But Jonas is always looking for extra work to do. I on the other hand was not too impressed with the new rule and neither was Grant, who had plonked himself down beside me with a mountain of food on his plate. Grant loved his food. It was one of his favourite things in life aside from his appearance. My roommate liked to refer to himself as a 'Greek god' and could sometimes be almost as cocky as me, but even I had to admit that Grant was one the toughest guy in our year - maybe even the school. Grant was the kind of guy who makes a great friend, but an awful enemy. Nobody even stood a chance against him in P&E - bar me, obviously.

Jonas, my other roommate sat down across from Grant carrying a smaller, more reasonable portion of food. Jonas was easily the smartest guy I knew and that's saying something considering I go to a school for geniuses. But Jonas was the _genius_ to all geniuses. There was no firewall he couldn't bring down, no software he couldn't hack. While Grant, Nick and I were out on the field on missions during cove ops, Jonas stayed behind is computer as part of the research and development coarse. He had long dark hair that fell into his eyes, a thin tall build and glasses, the polar opposite of Grant who was all muscle, blond hair and tan. My last roommate was Nick Cross, Master of disguise, sitting beside Jonas. His current and natural look was light brown hair and dark eyes but he could transform completely into someone unrecognisable at a moments notice. On our missions, Nick recreated us so that we could be anyone.

I sat there with my roommates eating breakfast and catching up after summer on the first day back. It was a typical scene for a Monday morning, but being the incredible talented spy that I am, I noticed that all the teachers seemed on edge. It wasn't anything they had said or done- they were all highly trained agents and wouldn't be careless enough to drop a clue about something important. But it _wa_ s something important. I could sense it. My spy senses were tingling…

 **So... how do you like it? please review and keep reading, thinks are only just getting started...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, so here is chapter Two! hope you like it and review**

 **Disclaimer- i'm still not Ally carter :(**

Cam P.O.V.

"But I'm not going to leave again! I won't run away!" I argued with my mother siting in her office. "I promised!"

"That's what you said last time Cammie," my mother didn't look at me. She just stared out the window of her office, avoiding all eye contact. Maybe she felt guilty. I just felt betrayed. "Its better this way, you know that"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I would _not_ accept it! "But I am safe here!" I cried, "sending me away will only put me in more danger! Gallagher is my home, It's always been my home!"

My mother took my hands in hers and finally looked me I the eye "And that is exactly why this would be the first place they would look." He voice was softer now, and deep down I knew what she was saying made sense. "Cammie, the circle knows you are here. Every girl in the school knows you snuck off to Rome and everybody knows who is after you. Gallagher isn't safe for you anymore. At least not until the circle is finally stopped." My mother's tone was serious now and I knew I couldn't change her mind. I was leaving Gallagher.

"So what are you going to do with me?" I asked defiantly "hide me underground in a prison cell for the rest of my life? No where is safe, you can't hide me forever"

My mother stood up and sat behind her desk- except she was no longer my mother, asking me to do something- she was my headmistress, giving me orders.

"I am sending you to the last place anyone would ever look for you - somewhere you can still continue to learn, and build long lasting friendships. _Safely_ " she told me. I felt my stomach drop and my heart begin to race. I knew where she was sending me before she said it "You're going to Blackthorn"

* * *

Zach P.O.V.

The sun was setting and we were sweating. Outside on the grass working as hard as usual with miss Reats screeching in our ears for us to run faster, jump further and to keep going. Some of the guys here thought it was strange that our P&E teacher was a woman, but I didn't care. Even though she was only three years older than us she was one of the most skilled fighters in the CIA (or so her file read when Jonas hacked into it).

"467! 468! 469!" she bellowed as we neared the end of our 500 push-ups. I strained my neck to look up as we reached the 470 mark. Joe Solomon, our cove ops teacher and one of the greatest living spies of his generation was striding across the front yard towards us, a look somewhere between panic and excitement over his face. He reached Miss Reats and told her something in a voice so low that none of us could hear. She straightened up at his words and nodded, walking swiftly away.

"Alright, that's enough!" Mr Solomon called for us to stop. "I have an announcement. Classes are dismissed for the rest of the day!" My classmates, including me, cheered - except for Jonas who just stood there looking miserable.

Grant came up behind me with a goofy grin on his face and hit me on the back - hard! "Half a day Zach-y! You know what's up with that?!" he asked in a disbelieving voice. As usual everyone expected me to know the answers to all of life's questions but, for the first time ever, I had no idea what was going on…

"I dunno," I said grudgingly "but Solomon's on edge, all the teachers are. Have been ever since we got back…"

"Ohhh something the great _Zachary Goode_ doesn't know?!" Nick said mockingly, joining the conversation. "I'd never thought I'd see this day!"

"Yeah, well don't get so used to it." I answered.

"What's going on?" Jonas asked, joining us. Nick shrugged. Before I could answer I was distracted a familiar humming sound. I looked up to the sky along with everyone else to see where it was coming from. On the horizon, fast approaching was a black helicopter speeding towards Blackthorn. Everyone began to shout over the loud noise of the chopper- it was so unheard of for Blackthorn to have guests. Leaves were blown everywhere as the chopper began to make its decent. It hovered in mid air about forty-five feet off the ground.

The door to the chopper opened and a single duffle bag was thrown to the ground in front of us. Out of the shadows of the chopper, a girl dressed all in black appeared. She leaned back to say something to the pilot as she hung out of the doorframe, dangerously close to falling. She waved to the pilot, wind blowing her dirty blond hair and then jumped.

Everybody watching gasped as the girl fell, seemingly plummeting to her death. But somehow she expertly landed on the ground in a crouching position right next to her bag. She straightened up easily, clearly unhurt from the fall, almost as if jumping from helicopters was a normal everyday thing for her. The girl looked around at the guys in my class gaping at her and picked up her bag while the chopper flew away. She was striking- blue eyes, dark eyebrows and long dark eyelashes in contrast to her light hair. I could feel my classmates drooling. Maybe it was the determined, kind of angry look in her eyes or the fact that she had just jumped forty-five feet out of the air, but there was something about her that seemed intimidating.

A crowd had gathered outside and almost all of Blackthorn was staring at her. She stood up straight and confident, however she almost shuddered under our attention. I got the impression she didn't like to be seen and preferred to stay in the shadows.

The girl's intense scowl broke into a grin as she ran towards me. I was used to girls running after me but this was odd; I had never seen her before in my life! Confused, I just stood there until non other than _Joe Solomon_ pushed past me and caught the girl up in a hug and swung her around as she laughed.

Joe Solomon- the legendary spy who never shows any emotion- was smiling and showing _affection_?! All around me, eyes bulged out of heads and jaws dropped all of us fearing for the girl's life. But she seemed totally oblivious to the danger she was in.

I exchanged looks with Nick, Grant and Jonas while the whole school watched the happy reunion with the _Mystery girl_. Who was she? How did she know Solomon? And what on earth was she doing at Blackthorn?

Solomon took the bag from her and the two of them started walking towards the main entrance.

I just stood there, never having been so clueless.

* * *

Cam P.O.V.

Pros and Cons of being a Gallagher Girl surrounded by Blackthorn Boys:

A list by Cameron Morgan

PRO: provides the opportunity to forge long lasting friendships and allies that could come in handy someday.

CON: I was completely outnumbered and on my own.

PRO: I wasn't surrounded by curious Gallagher girls, asking questions I didn't know how to answer.

CON: I was surrounded by even _more_ curious Blackthorn Boys.

PRO: I got to catch up with my godfather, Joe

CON: I couldn't see my friends,

PRO: I get a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time at one of the best spy schools in the world

CON: As great as Blackthorn is, it still isn't Gallagher.

I turned my head to my bedside table reading the alarm clock. I already knew it was 3:04am before I checked- it's hard to turn off the clock in my head, always counting the seconds. I sighed and stared at the ceiling like I had been for the past 3 hours since I had woken up. I couldn't sleep and almost didn't want to, knowing that I would just have more terrible nightmare about the circle. I hadn't slept properly since Rome. Thinking about it made me shudder.

My room was huge - it was meant for four people, but I was the only one occupying it. The walls were painted grey, just like most of Blackthorn and the room was cold and empty. There was a wardrobe by the door, a window looking out over the back yard, a bed and bedside table and an on suit bathroom. I thought longingly of my cosy room back at Gallagher, half a world away. More than that I missed my roommates, even if they didn't miss me. I knew how Macey and Liz really felt; I've known them both for years. I know them better that I know myself. They were mad, but unlike Bex they wouldn't show it.

Realising that I had no hope of sleep, I decided to get up. I threw on an oversized black shirt, a sports bra, kept on the same black legging I had slept in and slipped into my trainers. I threw my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head and left my room, locking it behind me.

Blackthorn was a maze- every hall seemed the exact same as the last. When Joe had shown me to my room I had tried my best to memorize the path, but it still took me an embarrassing 17 minutes to find my way back to the entrance.

It was eerily quiet- the whole school was asleep and suddenly I didn't feel like being indoors. I pushed opened the front doors at walked outside into the darkness, breathing in the fresh air. I needed to run.

I took off at a sprint, trying to distract myself from thoughts about Rome, about Bex, about the Circle, thoughts about everything in my crazy, complicated life. I tried to focus on my surroundings instead.

Despite the Blackthorn Institute itself being a dull grey box with no character, its grounds were surprisingly beautiful. It was the perfect place to build an undercover school for spies- if there ever was one.

Unlike Gallagher, there were no fences or walls to keep any unwanted guests out- nature did that. As I neared the back of the school I could hear the loud roar of running water. Squinting into the darkness I realised that it was a waterfall, hidden away behind one of the many rocky mountains surrounding the school. A fortress of nature protected Blackthorn. In fact, looking around I couldn't see any way to enter but by helicopter…

After my 5th lap around the grounds I stopped at another ugly grey building hidden on the outskirts of a thick forest. It was fairly large, about the same size as our Great Hall at Gallagher, with darkened, one-way, windows on one side. Being a chameleon, I love hiding but I didn't know anything about this new place I had been (literally) dropped at.

The spy in me- not to mention the girl- was curious. I tried the front door and wasn't surprised to find that it was locked- this is a top-secret spy school after all; I would be worried if it was open.

Next to the door was a keypad, which had lit up at my attempt to open the door. Unfortunately a passcode was needed, which I didn't have, but it was nothing I couldn't figure out. I thought of my genius roommate Liz, the smartest person I know and how easily she could hack into the security system. She would enjoy it too- nothing excited her more than a puzzle…

Twenty-two minutes later (roughly five times longer than it would have taken Liz) I was in. The lights turned on revealing Blackthorns state of the art P&E barn. There was a large space in the centre of the room for sparing, weights and punching bags at the back of the room and rows upon rows of machines lining the sides.

The clock on the wall read 4:47am- I had hours until anybody would be up and steam to blow off. I knew I could use some practice in with the punching bags.

Forty-five minutes later the sun was rising and I was gasping for air. I hit the heavy bag again and again with all my might, loving the aching feeling in my muscles. My hands were battered and bruised from stupidly not wearing gloves, but it didn't bother me

Anger and frustration poured out of me and I hit the bag harder- I was mad at my mother, who had sent me away from my home. I was mad at Bex, who couldn't forgive me.

But mainly I was mad at myself- mad at all of the foolish mistakes I made that had landed me at Blackthorn, at this strange place. Mad at the mistakes that had cost me my friends.

My mind slipped back to Rome, to Liz screaming, to the gunshots, to the unforgiving look on Bex's face-

"Who pissed you off Gallagher Girl?" I stopped punching the bag and looked up. Leaning on the wall was a green-eyed stranger, looking right at me. He was tall and muscular, with dark hair, broad shoulders and a smirk plastered to his face. I suddenly felt very self conscious of the fact I was dripping with sweat, wearing tight leggings and a sports bra…

I had no idea how long he had been hiding in the shadows, watching me. I mentally slapped myself for not noticing him.

"What did you just call me?" I asked, confused and gasping for breath.

"Gallagher girl." he replied, his smirk growing. "What, don't you like it?" he asked in an innocent voice, raising an eyebrow.

"How did you know I'm from Gallagher?" I pressed, scared to know the answer. I didn't think Blackthorn even knew we existed.

He simply pointed at himself and said "Spy" as if that answered everything - which it didn't.

"So what's wrong?" the stranger asked playfully after a moment's silence.

 _Everything_ I thought, but all I said was "Nothing"

"Really? Because it sure didn't seem like nothing Gallagher Girl" he teased, walking towards me. "You seemed pretty upset. I'm glad I'm not that punching bag" he smirked as we both looked at the battered bag swinging from the ceiling. "How did you get in here anyway- you need a code?" he questioned, changing the subject.

Then it was my turn to smirk as I pointed to my self and said "Spy".

Not knowing quite what to say, I turned back to the punching bag but all the fight had left me. I simply kicked it- not very hard but hard enough to knock it backwards.

"Good" the stranger said "but maybe next time, try putting more weight into it."

"I know how to do it," I snapped.

"Do you?" he asked, smiling that same mocking smile, daring me. That smirk was starting to get on my nerves.

I narrowed my eyes, took a deep breath, jumped up and kicked the heavy bag—hard—performing a perfect 'Jumping Front Kick'. There was a loud crack as the chain hanging from the ceiling snapped and the bag fell to the floor with a loud, echoing thud.

There was silence for a second before we both burst out laughing- something I hadn't done for months. It felt weird. Maybe Blackthorn wouldn't be as bad as I thought..

"Now you've done it" he said, somehow still smirking through laughter

"You were the one who made me do it!" I exclaimed my cheeks getting redder and redder.

"Well I didn't expect you would break the thing…" he said shaking his head. "So Gallagher Girl, do you have a name?"

"Sure" I replied smiling. "Lots of them. But you can call me Cam or Cammie. And what about you, or should I just call you Blackthorn Boy?"

"Goode. Zach Goode" he said, throwing me a wink. "Welcome to Blackthorn."

 **Please review! x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooo there my fabulous readers! enjoy chapter 3 x**

 **Disclaimer : I'm not Ally Carter *sobs quietly in the corner**

Zach P.O.V.

You wouldn't think that the young and dangerous men of Blackthorn- the world class, top-secret spy school- would bother with gossip. Well, I am ashamed to say that after the _mystery girl_ arrived, they stopped acting like the assassins and spies in training they were, and more like a bunch of excited little girls. I say _they_ because I, Zach Goode, _obviously_ had nothing to do with it.

The rumours spread like wildfire. By dinner I had heard that she was our new Guns&Warfare teacher, an escaped Russian convict, a robot (don't ask) and the next in line to the Dutch throne. I even heard that she was the target of a secret terrorist group and had been sent here for protection. The only thing I believed was that she was a student from Gallagher, sent here for god knows what reason.

Nobody had any idea who she was and the only person who could answer our questions was… Joe Solomon. Not exactly the easiest guy to talk to. Though we had just seen a different side to him - a side that actually knew how to _smile_. Still, I doubted we would ever get any answers out of him. We had to get answers ourselves. Luckily we had Jonas, the master hacker on our side.

Days at Blackthorn started early- first, training in the P&E barn at 6am sharp then drills on the front lawn at 7am. Nobody ever dared to be late. But I was always up before the rest - I arrived early and practised in the P&E barn everyday at 5:30am. I preferred training alone and nobody was ever there that early.

So you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw the _Mystery Girl_ alone at the punching bags before me.

She hadn't noticed me arrive- she was too focused on the punching bag, which had taken a beating since she arrived. She wasn't wearing gloves and her hands were almost as battered as the punching bag. She glared at it with a look that could kill…

I spoke from the shadows "Who pissed you off Gallagher Girl?" she stopped punching the bag and looked up at me, surprised to see anyone there.

"What did you just call me?" she asked between breaths.

"Gallagher girl." I replied, not 100% sure if she even knew what Gallagher was. "What, don't you like it?" I asked in an innocent voice.

"How did you know I'm from Gallagher?" she asked and I smirked, very pleased with myself for guessing right. I simply pointed at myself and said "Spy" to which she said nothing.

"So what's wrong?" I pressed.

"Nothing" she huffed. She was lying- and not very well.

"Really? Because it sure didn't seem like nothing Gallagher Girl" I teased. "You seemed pretty upset. I'm glad I'm not that punching bag" there was a moment of silence, then something occurred to me.

"How did you get in here anyway- you need a code?" I asked changing the subject.

"Spy" she pointed to herself and smirked- my smirk!

Apparently she was done talking to me because she turned back to the punching bag and kicked it. Her aim was perfect but there was no power behind it "Good" I said "but maybe next time, try putting more weight into it."

"I know how to do it," she snapped at me, obviously hating that I had told her what to do.

I smirked at her "Do you?" I knew I was irritating her but she made it so easy!

She scowled an award-winning scowl then jumped up and kicked the heavy bag so hard that the chain holding it up snapped. The bag fell to the floor with a loud, deafening thud.

Wow, that's a lot of anger. I knew I shouldn't laugh but the look of shock on her face was priceless! Thankfully she found it funny too "Now you've done it!"

"You were the one who made me do it!" she blushed.

"Well I didn't expect you would break the thing…" she was stronger than she looked. "So Gallagher Girl, do you have a name?"

"Sure, lots of them. But you can call me Cam or Cammie." Cammie, huh. I preferred Gallagher Girl. "And what about you, or should I just call you Blackthorn Boy?"

"Goode. Zach Goode. Welcome to Blackthorn." I said and winked.

"MORNING!" Grant bellowed as he swung the doors open with a loud bang. Behind him was Jonas, Nick and the rest of the seniors, all dressed in their P&E kits and ready to start training. "And _what_ is going on here?" Grant asked raising an eyebrow as he looked between Cammie and me.

"Nothing much" I replied. "I was just welcoming _Gallagher Girl_ here to Blackthorn" I said, noticing Cammie roll her eyes as I blew her cover. There was a wave of surprised looks as one of the many rumours was finally confirmed.

The Gallagher girl in question just looked faintly annoyed as she sighed and said, "My name is _Cammie"_

"Cammie…" A voice leered from the back of the room. It was Jason- possibly my least favourite person. Jason wasn't at Blackthorn because he was a genius like Jonas or because he had potential to be a top spy like me. Jason was classed as _'a troubled young man'_ but everyone knew he was a murderer. A murderer training to be an assassin. I hated that guy. "Where've _you_ been hiding?"

I saw Cammie tense, but before she could say anything, Miss Reats arrived. She called out for everyone to move it and start working, then she noticed Cammie.

"Cam!" she said with a smile on her face and gave the Gallagher Girl a hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Its great to see you too Amy" she said hugging back, because apparently Cammie knows all my teachers.

Miss Reats started pulling Cammie away, talking in hushed voices, her face suddenly serious. I heard her ask "how are you Cam?" but not her reply.

Seconds later Cammie left the building- all I wanted to know was why she was here in the first place…

* * *

Cam P.O.V

I told Amy I was fine, just like I told Zach nothing was wrong - but they both could tell that everything was wrong. They knew I wasn't fine.

I somehow found my way back to my room, through the maze that was Blackthorn. I immediately noticed the folded pile of clothes on my bed and the piece of evapo-paper that wasn't there before. I quickly read the letter telling me the meal times and welcoming me to Blackthorn. Breakfast was to be served at 7:30am in the main Hall and classes stared at 8:00am. Not that I knew what any of my classes were…

I took a shower and changed into my new school uniform. Fortunately Blackthorns official colour was, well, black. My uniform consisted of a black shirt, a tie and a black pencil skirt with black tights. Plain, simple and thankfully not yellow. I brushed out my messy hair and put on some light makeup and looked at myself in the mirror. Once I was happy with the way I looked I left my room, ready to face Blackthorn.

Never in my whole life had I felt less chameleon-y as I did when I entered the main hall. Everyone turned and stared in silence at the only girl in an all boy's school. The Gallagher Academy had prepared me for many things- like diffusing a bomb, torture, death, you know, normal soy stuff - but not this. I just stood in the doorway, not sure where to go. The silence was finally broken by a wolf whistle followed by laughing. It was the same guy who had sneered at me that morning. The guy Zach looked like he wanted to punch.

The chatter started again, but all eyes stayed on me as I walked towards the front of the hall where Joe Solomon stood, beckoning me forward.

I was halfway down the hall when I felt a hand squeeze my backside. In a flash I had whirled around and twisted the hand behind the owners back at a horribly uncomfortable angle. The hall was absolutely silent- everybody was watching. It was the same guy who had whistled- My God, he was getting on my nerves. I twisted his hand around at a tighter angle and smirked at the not-so-well-hidden pain that flashed across his face. "The next time you touch me," I said in my calmest voice, "You'll loose the hand."

I let go and he called me a very bad word in Russian. I ignored it and stalked away towards Joe who was beaming with what must have been pride…

"So" he said over the buzz of voices in the hall. "Are you ready for your first class?"

I felt my stomach drop and I was filled with nerves- I had no idea what kinds of lessons were taught at Blackthorn. Though I knew nothing could be worse than what I had just experienced. "That depends on what my first class is," I answered.

Joe smiled and said "Cove ops.''

* * *

The sublevels at blackthorn were unlike anything I had ever seen before. I followed Joe through the dark tunnels deep below the school, my hand trailing along the rough rock that made up the walls. I don't know what I had expected, perhaps an even greyer, man-made and clean-cut version of the school above. But the sublevels were just as natural as the mountains protecting the school. In some places the rock beneath my fingers was smooth from the water over many years. There was no doubt the sublevels had been here for far longer than the school.

"Blackthorn was built over the caves," Joe said, answering my unspoken question. "We're walking under the waterfall as we speak. The tunnels go on for miles through the mountains- its very easy to get lost and stay lost down here… the students call it the tombs" he said with a grimace.

 _The tombs…_ I wondered how many people had been forgotten about down here.

We rounded a corner and a bright light assaulted my eyes. When they adjusted I saw a large room with rows upon rows of complicated looking computers and machines. The shiny, white state of the art equipment looked out of place in cave, just like a Gallagher girl was out of place at Blackthorn. Lining the high walls were files and books in languages even I didn't know. With a smile I thought of the fun Liz would have reading and memorizing everything Blackthorn had to offer her in these sublevels…

On the farthest away wall I could see a heavily protected door- perhaps the entrance to a safe or a room containing Blackthorns biggest secrets. Dangerous secrets. Secrets I wanted to know…

"This is where the research and development coarse is taught," Joe said "the labs are through that door," he pointed in the opposite direction of where we were headed. He opened a door which lead into a darker space, desks and chairs in rows up and down the room "welcome to my classroom."

"So, what's the lesson for today?" I asked walking in and taking a quick look around.

Joe smiled "oh, I think you'll enjoy it" he said, keeping me in the dark. The bell rang and Joe told me to take a seat at the back of the class. I did and hid back in the shadows, channelling my inner chameleon.

Minutes later the senior class of Blackthorn, including Zach and the creep from earlier, poured into the class. They seemed like completely different people to the loud and laughing group I had met in P&E that morning. They took their seats in silence, not a whisper was heard in the echoing classroom and every one of them wore the same weary expression…

I was in a room of highly trained spies, yet nobody had noticed me sat at the back of the classroom – I was invisible to everyone but Joe and wanted to see how long I could keep it that way…

"Today everyone, we will be looking at the art of disguise." Joe told the class. A few people smirked at the seemingly easy lesson and Joe fixed them with a dangerous stare. "A complicated art which even the most skilled spies can struggle to master. A face is recognisable. A face is an identity. If the wrong person learns your face, identifies you, then your disguise may save your life." he spoke in a deadly calm voice, letting the words sink in. "it is a matter of life or death…"

At Gallagher, both my mother and aunt had been my teachers as well as my family. One was my headmistress and the other was my cove ops teacher. So I was used to seeing someone close to me acting different around my classmates. However as the lesson continued I realised why the seniors of Blackthorn seemed so scared; The Joe I knew was tough but also kind and fair. He always would put our safety before his.

But _Mr Solomon_ was ice-cold. There was no hint of humour in his voice- he was deadly serious- very different from the Joe I knew. He seemed dangerous, but I knew that fear made him a good teacher.

"Well done Mr Cross." Joe said half an hour later, for the 6th time that lesson. Mr Cross, a guy with dark hair sitting next to Zach, looked very pleased with himself. He obviously excelled in disguise. I smiled slightly thinking of the Peacock and how much fun she would be having if she was here…

"At Blackthorn, we only teach disguise in your final year. Can anyone of you tell me why?" Joes question was met with silence. Even _Mr Cross_ didn't have an answer. No one moved as waited patiently for an answer, looking each of them in the eye. The drip of water echoed through the dark caves and Joe finally locked eyes with me.

"Because disguises make you lazy." I said loud and clear.

Shock and surprise was on everyone's face as they whirled around to look at me in the shadows. I noticed Zach's surprise quickly swapped with his usual smirk. For the first time the class made some noise. I heard whispers of _how long has she been there?_ And _where did she come from?_ A smile twitched on Joe's lips.

"Disguise is not all about makeup and costumes gentlemen." Joe said as they turned their attention back to the front of the class. "Remember that if you aren't seen, then you cannot be identified. The best spies can go undetected without even changing their faces. A good Pavement artist should be able to hide in plain sight without being noticed, even by other agents. Other agents like you for example." He said and I knew what was coming.

"Meet Cameron Morgan," Joe said smiling at me. "The Chameleon."

 **Reviews make my day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, here is chapter 4... i hope you like cliff hangers :)**

 **Disclaimer : i'm not Ally Carter, I am still Anna (Do i have to write a disclaimer every chapter)**

Zach P.O.V.

It's hard to surprise the students of Blackthorn- we're trained to be prepared for anything. But there we were, stunned into silence (again), gaping at Cammie. At the Chameleon.

My first thought was that this was a trick, but I knew Solomon didn't make jokes. This was Cameron Morgan. I just didn't understand how! How one of the top spies in the CIA could possibly be a teenage girl! I had never even considered it as a possibility!

I looked turned to Nick who gave me a disbelieving look as the bell sounded signalling the end of class. Apparently I wasn't the only one finding it hard to believe- all hell broke loose the second my classmates left the room. Nobody believed it was true- nobody _wanted_ to believe it. The Chameleon was everything we had wanted to be. He was someone we talked about, were inspired by, idolised even. He couldn't be a girl…

For the rest of the day talk of 'the chameleon' was all that could be heard around the school. Most thought it must be a lie, so did I honestly.

We didn't see the chameleon until much later that day, but that didn't mean she didn't see us. If she really was as good as everyone said, I had no doubt that she was hiding I the shadows, unseen and watching…

When Grant, Jonas, Nick and I arrived at the P&E facility that evening for our second lesson, the Gallagher Girl was already there. She was on the furthest away treadmill, running at top speed but barely breaking a sweat. She didn't stop when we came in, she didn't pay us any attention.

When the rest of the class arrived Miss Reats told us we would be sparring and that we should get into pairs to warm up. Grant and I automatically joined and practiced as usual, while Jonas and Nick teamed up. After our warm-ups we gathered in a circle around the sparring mats. We all knew the protocol; enter the circle and pick an opponent. Simple. The way we always trained.

First up was Nick who chose and then beat Thomas. Next went Grant who chose Zander, the tallest guy in our year. Of coarse there was no competition and after ten seconds, Grant was victorious. I was chosen by Flynn, but easily took him down and soon nearly they whole class had fought.

Then Jason entered the ring.

"I chose _the Chameleon._ " He said loud and clear. There was a mocking quality to his voice- he didn't believe she could be a CIA legacy. I didn't fully myself.

Cammie had been sprinting through the whole class, paying us no attention-or so it seemed. But the second her code name was mentioned, she stopped, jumped off and calmly walked our way. The circle parted to let her through where she stood facing Jason, a slight smirk on her face.

"Are you sure that's wise Mr Vater?" Miss Reats asked Jason, a serious warning tone in her voice.

"I'm not scared of her" he replied, a nasty grin growing on his face.

Cammie smiled a dangerous smile. "You should be" she said was all she said.

Jason didn't have any time to contemplate this though since Cammie was charging at him at an alarming speed. He narrowly dodged a kick to the stomach and instead grabbed his attackers leg, swinging her off her feet. He smirked in triumph, but before he could take advantage of his position, his legs were knocked out from underneath him, sending him sprawling across the floor.

Jason had the advantage, being much taller and obviously stronger but Cammie was fast- extremely fast! There was no denying she could fight.

In a split second Cammie was up on her feet easily dodging every punch Jason threw. She didn't seem tired like she should have after an hour long sprint- if anything she looked bored.

The fight ended as quickly as it had begun when, with lightning speed, Cammie roundhouse kicked Jason on the side of the head, knocking him out cold. For what felt like the millionth time since Cammie had arrived, my class was stunned into silence.

"I _did_ warn him" Cammie said, a trace of humor in her voice, as she stalked out of the room.

* * *

Cam P.O.V.

Jason didn't bother me after that. He glared and whispered occasional threats but kept his distance, never laying a hand on me. Nobody did.

By breakfast the next morning, nobody doubted I was the chameleon. Word had spread quickly of what I had done to Jason, who had spent the night in the hospital wing with a concussion. I hadn't really meant to hurt him but he still deserved it…

I knew I had only been at Blackthorn for a couple of days but it felt like years since I had been at Gallagher. I didn't know how long my mother planned on keeping me away from my home- weeks, months or even the rest of my senior year.

That was when I realised I would probably never walk down the halls surrounded by my sisters again. I would never eat dinner with them, speaking a different language at each meal. I would never share my room with Liz, Macey and Bex again. Whether I stayed at Blackthorn or not, I knew it wasn't safe to ever go back to Gallagher.

"Morning, _vision of loveliness_ " the guy I thought was called Grant greeted me, snapping me out of my thoughts. He sat down next to me at my empty table with a massive pile of food on his plate.

"Morning" I replied. I was very aware of the three other people who had followed Grant and had now joined me at my table. One was very tall with glasses, dark hair and a shy, almost scared expression when he looked at me. The second boy had brown hair and dark eyes, which were fixed on me with a curious stare. He looked like he wanted to say something as he sat down, but remained silent. The third person was Zach, a smirk plastered to his face as usual.

"Meet my roommates, Gallagher Girl" Zach said with a smirk as he pointed to them in order. "This is Jonas" gesturing to the shy boy with glasses. "He's on the research track, and is our resident genius here at Blackthorn." Jonas smiled slightly and nodded his head, still too shy to look me in the eye.

"I'm Grant" said the tall bronze guy sitting beside me, holding out his hand. I shook it and replied "Cammie" with a small smile.

"Don't let the Jason bother you," he said, noticing my bruised challenger sitting across the hall, glaring directly at me. "And if he tries anything like that again, you just send him my way." Grant told me flashing a scarily white smile and pulling up his fists, pretending to fight. "Not that you couldn't handle yourself" he added quickly, worried that he had insulted me.

"Thanks," I said with a slight chuckle, "I'll do that"

"I'm Nick" said the boy who had brown hair sitting beside grant. "I'm doing cove ops"

"Nick Cross right? Master of disguise?" I said remembering the cove ops lesson in disguise the previous day, when he could have given even Macey a run for her money. He looked taken aback that I knew his last name but nodded, obviously holding back even more questions.

"And you've already met me" Zach said. "The genius, the heart-throb, the best spy to ever bless the grounds of Blackthorn" he ticked the list off on his fingers and I rolled my eyes along with everyone else at he table.

"Ignore him," Grant told me, "he's just in love with himself. Its quite sad really" I laughed a little at that because it was so true!

"Of coarse I'm in love with myself!" Zach said with a smirk "who wouldn't fall in love with all of this" he gestured to himself and raised an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes again- something I was doing a lot whenever Zach spoke…

Over breakfast I did more talking than I had over all of summer, since Rome. I learnt a lot about my new classmates- Jonas really was a genius! (And since I know a lot of geniuses, I don't say that lightly). He had designed the firewalls, which protected all of the schools most secret information and he was supposedly one of the fastest computer hackers in the CIA. It was clear though that he had never been out on the field but with his timid personality, I thought it was maybe best if he stayed behind a computer screen.

As I had suspected, Nick has millions of questions, concerning my codename, Gallagher, why I was at Blackthorn, how I knew Joe, who my parents were… I answered most of them truthfully but when he asked why I was sent away from Gallagher, I hesitated, then told him because Gallagher wasn't safe.

Zach's eyes narrowed at this but he remained silent, as he had done for most of breakfast, barely speaking a word. He was probably wondering how much safer a school full of assassins was than Gallagher- the same question I had been asking myself.

My second day was less eventful than the first but I felt like I had a place. I was still _the_ _only girl at a boys school_ but at least now some of those said boys were talking with me instead of gawking.

Everything was running smoothly until Guns and Warfare. At Gallagher we were taught that we didn't need guns- and if we did then it was already too late. We were taught to save lives, not to take them. So you can imagine how strange and out of place I felt walking onto the target practice field behind the school, with a freezing cold automatic rifle in my hands.

I felt wrong holding it, so wrong that I had to take ten seconds to calm myself down, taking deep breaths as memories of Rome flashed before my eyes.

Though G&W wasn't a subject at Gallagher, I wasn't completely clueless when it came to weapons- I had held a gun before, been held a gunpoint before. I had even shot a gun before- I had just never been graded on how well I could kill someone with one.

Everyone one was in a line aiming across the field at the rows of cut out human shapes opposite. I took a place next to Zach and someone I didn't know and tried to look like I wasn't having a mental breakdown.

Our teacher, Mr Steel, a large muscly man with red hair and a matching red moustache took no notice of me, obviously not going to help or show me what the hell I was meant to be doing!

He barked commands and the entire class moved forward and raised their weapons. I did the same, watching Zach out of the corner of my eye, following his lead.

There were loud explosions all around me as everyone fired and I was suddenly very grateful for the noise cancelling headphones I was wearing.

I could feel my stomach churning and my hands growing sweaty on the trigger. I took a deep breath and blinked to clear the fog that was clouding my vision. I aimed and fired across the field hitting my target. It caught the left shoulder, right where the heart would be.

"Nice shot, Gallagher Girl" Zach said beside me.

"I was aiming for the head" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for Zach to hear.

He crossed his arms and looked at me with his head tilted sideways. "What, don't they teach you to shoot at Gallagher?"

"No" I said aiming again and taking another shot. This one was worse than the first and barely grazed the right arm. I sighed and looked back at him "we save lives, we don't need guns for that. Besides, if you need a weapon its probably too late anyway" I said reciting what my aunt Abby had told us in our cove ops lessons.

" _But,_ if you're taking out the bad guy then you _are_ saving lives" Zach argued back with a small smirk. "Then you're saving the possible victims. You should always know how to shoot anyway. Your not safe if you don't"

I don't know if it was his smirk, PMS or the horrible memories that were plaguing my mind but I was suddenly angry. "I _can_ shoot!" I whirled around and aimed- this time really focussing before firing- and left a small hole in the head of my target.

I turned to a bemused looking Zach. I looked over at his target- it was safe to say that if his target were real, they would be very, very dead.

"I can shoot," I said again, this time in a calm voice. "I would just rather not have to." His smirk was fading as I spoke. "We save lives at Gallagher, we don't take them"

Zach stood, deadly serious in front of me, his smirk gone "but sometimes you have to" he said. "Have you ever…?" he didn't finish but I knew what he was asking.

 _Killed, taken a life, murdered._

I didn't answer, at least not with words. I looked him straight in the eye and I could see that he knew the answer.

He nodded and took a step closer to me. There was no hint of his usual smirk or cocky attitude. His expression calm, his eyes filled with the same ghosts that probably filled mine.

He smiled slightly "It gets easier" he said, his voice full of understanding.

Since arriving at Blackthorn I had seen two sides to Zach Goode; the untouchable, smirking, green-eyed spy and the Zach that stood in front of me. And I had no idea which one was the real Zach.

* * *

That night I couldn't sleep, like every other night. I kept replaying what Zach had said. _It gets easier._

But when? _When_ would the nightmares stop? _When_ would I stop being scared of my own shadow, always expecting danger? _When_ would I trust again? _When_ would it get easier?

My nightly walks when I couldn't sleep were almost becoming a routine, but what else was there to do at 3 in the morning?

I wondered through the fifth floor halls of the sleeping school soundlessly, with no destination in mind. Moonlight spilled through a window on my left and I realised that it was a balcony of sorts, looking out towards the waterfall.

Without making a sound I opened the glass door and tiptoed outside into the cold. My bare feet on the stone stung in the cold and I regretted not wearing shoes or a jacket over my pyjamas.

The moonlight lit the grounds in front of me; It was beautiful and still, I could clearly make out the P&E Barn, the swimming pool, the running tracks and the forest that stretched on for miles through the mountains…

But what caught my attention where the two dark figures moving swiftly through the trees.

I squinted, not sure if I was seeing right- Blackthorn was impenetrable, or so I thought.

That was when I felt strong arms drag me backwards into the dark, and hand clamp around my mouth, silencing my screams.

 **Hehehe... Please review! they motivate me to keep writing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hola, welcome back, here is chapter 5! enjoy x**

 **Disclaimer : I'm not Ally carter and don't own any of the Gallagher girls... or Zach Goode :(**

Cam P.O.V.

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as my attacker dragged me into the shadows. My arms were pinned to my sides and I tried to make a sound, to call for help but everything was muffled by my captor's hand.

After a moment of panicked shock, my years of training kicked in. I brought my foot down hard on my attackers toes just as I threw my head back into their face. I heard the satisfying crunch of a nose as I made contact and my attacker loosened their hold on me. Unfortunately my head hurt like hell, but I still managed to escape their hold and deliver a swift kick to their stomach.

I spun around and faced my attacker who was larger than me and obviously a man. I couldn't see his face- it was covered by a black mask. _Typical_ I thought to myself, a second before they lunged at me tackling me to the ground.

They were heavy; I was pinned to the ground and he raised a fist and punched the side of my face. Hard. In a second I had brought my knee up, kicking him where the sun didn't shine.

He rolled off me in agony and I quickly jumped to my feet, head aching and yelling for help. He recovered quickly and was up and throwing more punches, some of which I wasn't fast enough to avoid.

Suddenly I was thrown backwards, slamming painfully into the wall behind me. I cried out at the intense pain in my shoulder and saw what I had hurt it on- a small red box sticking out of the side of the wall. _The fire alarm_.

Without thinking, I smashed the glass open and pressed the big red button, setting off the deafening sirens. Second later the sprinklers started and I knew the whole school would be awake and soon know about the intruders.

I quickly turned my attention back to my attacker who was sprinting back towards me. At the last second I stepped of his way and he ran headfirst into the wall. Before he could turn back around I swung my leg up and kicked him hard on the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground, lying completely still on the wet floor.

Taking deep ragged breaths, I backed away until I bumped into the opposite wall, keeping a safe distance between my attacker and me. I clutched my injured shoulder and slid down the wall to the floor, my eyes never leaving the lifeless body.

He was still. _Too_ still. But I couldn't have… I didn't mean to… _not again_ … I was sure he was fine…

I don't know who it was that finally found me, sitting on the flooded floor, my face bloody. I didn't hear them arrive over the sirens and I didn't look to see who they were. I kept my eyes glued to the intruder.

And then, somehow, I found myself sitting on one of the white beds lining the infirmary being examined by one of Blackthorns resident doctors. I heard the word 'shock' repeated in the background and agreed with them. I was in shock; I had thought I was safe. For once in my life. I had been stupid, I had let my guard down. I cursed myself for ever thinking, even for a moment, that the circle wouldn't find me.

I noticed the sirens had finally been turned off. I noticed and nobody seemed as panicked as I felt. No one was running or shouting like I wanted to…

"Cameron" a voice said, pulling me back to reality. A woman with dark brown, greying hair sat on my bed with a clipboard in her hands. The badge around her neck read Dr Helen Wolf. "I want you to try to focus for me, okay?" she said in a stern but fair voice. I nodded my head slightly for her, which only sent a wave of nausea through my body. "We think you have a concussion."

That seemed likely- a concussion would explain a lot. "You have also managed to dislocate your shoulder and there are a few cuts on your face and the back of your head that we need to stitch up." She told me matter-of-factly. "But we need to sort that shoulder first. So if you could sit forward for me." I did as she said, slowly this time, so I didn't throw up.

"I'll warn you, this is going to hurt…" she told me.

It did hurt. A lot. I made a mental note to _never_ dislocate my shoulder _ever_ again.

The stitches that followed stung but seemed like nothing in comparison with the pain that had been in my shoulder. I was given a glass of what I had presumed was water, but it left a bitter taste behind in my mouth. I didn't ask what it was- I wasn't in the most talkative of moods- but I drank it anyway. I hadn't realised how dry my throat was and I quickly finished it and asked for some more water.

"Sorry, I can't give you anything just yet" Dr wolf told me. "Not until we know what's wrong with you"

I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes- I was feeling better already. The room wasn't spinning anymore and I didn't need to concentrate as hard to hear what the doctor was saying. I wondered what on earth was in that water…

The next few hours were torture- and I don't say that lightly. Once, in my sophomore year, Bex had decided to practice various forms of Chinese torture on me, as best friends do. But that early morning in the hospital was worse.

All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep, but I wasn't allowed to with a concussion on the off chance that I wouldn't wake up. Instead I had a CT scan, an MRI scan and even a Neurological Test, which tested my hearing, speech, vision, coordination and balance, mood and behaviour. I wasn't surprised when I failed the mood and behaviour section…

The sun was up in the sky when I finally got the results back. I _did_ have a concussion but only a minor one, with mild swelling in the brain. To be honest I didn't really care as long as that meant I could get some sleep.

A nurse handed me a pile of folded white clothes. "You might want to clean up- there is a bathroom just here" Dr wolf told me and lead me to a door in the corner.

I clicked on the light and jumped when I saw I wasn't alone in the small bathroom. My heart rate dropped and I relaxed slightly as I realised that the stranger was me, looking back through a mirror.

I had barely recognised my self; my hair was matted with dark, crusty blood, my lip swollen and bruised and the skin around my left eye was discoloured and puffy. That paled in comparison to the messy stitching over my left eyebrow and cheek that resembled Frankenstein's gruesome scars. I had defiantly seen better days.

I watched the blood wash down the shower drain in my zombie like state, then changed into the soft clean hospital gown I was given and left. I didn't even make it back to my bed before exhaustion pulled me to sleep.

* * *

Sleep, I decided, was one of the most precious, beautiful, perfect things on the planet. A luxury I had seriously been missing out on for months. I didn't know how long I had been sleeping for, but I knew it wasn't for long enough. Someone was shaking my shoulder, pulling me back to reality.

"…Cameron…. Cammie?" I heard an annoyingly persistent voice calling my name. I decided to ignore it. Maybe it would go away.

"Cam, wake up" I guessed not then. I begrudgingly opened an eye, ready to punch someone, and saw my godfather staring down at me, looking slightly amused.

I sighed, rolled over and pulled the covers over my face. I realised I was lying in a bed. In my dreamy state I wondered how I had gotten there, but decided it could wait.

"Cam, you need to get up now" he said poking me in the back.

I blindly kicked my leg towards him, but only hit air. I heard chuckles around me, which only irritated me further. " _Go away"_ I groaned.

"Gallagher Girl" a different voice called. I sat up slightly and glared at Zach. He was leaning against the door in his uniform, looking at me with, you guessed it, a smirk. Behind him I could see Jonas, Grant and then Nick, who looked like he had even more questions form me. I briefly wondered what they were all doing there.

Joe was at my bedside, looking worried. Dr wolf stood at the foot of my bed with a nurse at her side.

I was very aware of how many people were in the room, starting. At me. In a hospital gown. I pulled the sheets up over my shoulders.

"You had better have a good reason for waking me." I said to no one in particular.

"You were asleep for 21 hours" Dr. wolf said to my surprise. "We would've had to have woken you soon anyway."

"Cameron" Joe said, "We need to talk about what happened yesterday."

For a second I was confused and had no idea what Joe was talking about. Then it all came flooding back. My attacker, the people outside, the fire alarm, the still body…

I nodded my head and Joe asked if everyone would leave. Zach looked like he wanted to say something but didn't when he saw the stern look on his cove op teachers face. Soon it was just Joe and me.

"First of all, are you okay?" his voice full of concern.

Joe had known me for years, he was the closest thing that I had to a father. He knew my answer as I said it. "I will be." I told him with a small smile.

He nodded, understanding. "There was a breach in the security system" he explained. "Someone managed to hack into all the security cameras. All of the footage from that night has been lost. We don't know how they did it for sure, but we have some ideas"

Joe sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He fixed me with a worried stare. "I want you to tell me everything that happened. From the beginning."

So I did. Joe stayed silent, he didn't ask why I was on the fifth floor at three in the morning, or even interrupt when I told him about the intruders I saw on the grounds. When I was finished he didn't say anything for a while. I wanted to ask what had happened to my attacker but Joe looked lost in deep thought- trying to solve some complicated puzzle, so I didn't dare interrupt.

"And then someone found you and brought you here?" he asked

"Yeah, but I don't know who; I didn't see, I was looking at…." I trailed off and swallowed before asking, "What happened to my attacker?"

I was suddenly afraid to hear the answer.

"He was unconscious until about ten hours ago. We were worried he might not have woken up." I released a breath I hadn't realised I had been holding. _So was I,_ I thought. "That was quite a beating you gave him," Joe said with a small smile.

"He was taken to Langley this morning for questioning. He's our first imprisoned circle member for years. Sooner or later he'll break and we'll get our answers." Joe said with certainty.

I was still confused by the whole situation "but how did he even get into the school" I asked. "Blackthorn is a fortress, I thought it was impenetrable…"

"He didn't break in," Joe said with a sigh. "He was a student here, Jason Vater."

 **Shocking (note the sarcasm). Anyways please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey so I've got chapter 6 with a bit of Zammie thrown in for good measure. keep reading cause things are about to get interesting!**

 **Disclaimer : I'm not Ally Carter (Why am I not ally carter)**

Zach P.O.V.

Patience is a virtue, or so I've heard. But, you should know by now that I'm not really a patient guy. I was in my dorm room with Jonas and Nick, pacing between the beds. I needed to be going somewhere or doing something -anything to keep myself busy. I could tell I was getting on Nicks nerves. He was sitting on his bed, glaring at me, but I wasn't bothered by him. I was focused on Jonas who was typing furiously on his computer, doing what he did best- hacking.

When Cammie had arrived three days before, we did what any normal spies in training would do; hack into her files, find out if she was a threat and what she was doing at Blackthorn. Yes, yes I know, it's a huge invasion of privacy but in this job there is no such thing as privacy. Safety comes first. And my curiosity. Mainly my curiosity.

Except we didn't get any answers because Cammie's files were impossible to get into. In fact the firewalls and security that blocked her files had started a virus on Jonas's computer, effectively killing it. I was shocked, but not as shocked as Jonas had been. I didn't speak computer but I still understood why it was so heavily guarded. Whatever was on her file was important and _very_ classified, which only made me _more_ curious.

Things had been different since 'the chameleon' arrived. A break in at Blackthorn was unheard of- it had never happened at all my time here, but when Cammie arrived, that changed…

After Jonas had mourned the loss of one of his many laptops/children, he'd gotten back to work, this time more cautious than before. He had told me it would take him no longer than three days. Well, his three days were up and I wanted answers.

I stopped pacing and growled. "Jonas, if you don't hurry the hell up, I swear to God I'll-"

"Just… hang on," he replied, his voice was tense. "Almost… I've got it!"

In a flash Nick and I were next to Jonas, crowded around his computer. My eyes grew wider as I read the screen.

There was a headshot of Cammie staring back at us, she looked the same so it must have been recent. She didn't smile, her eyes were cold and hard and she was just as serious as always.

Below was her status, age, date of birth, residence and family. Strangely it read that Gallagher was still her home, but I moved on. I felt my heart sink when I read about her dad.

Scrolling down I read about her missions and cove ops assignments with Gallagher- one of which ended with Mr Solomon almost being run over by a forklift. I was curious so asked Jonas to click on it. Any doubt I had had about her being the chameleon vanished as I read. She had snuck out of one of the most secure establishments in the world, full of top spies for half a year, and no one had noticed. Though I would never admit it out loud, I was impressed.

For the next few hours we sat with our eyes glued to the screen, in silence, pointing at files that caught our eyes- which was almost all of them.

The last one was different from the others. It drew my attention immediately It was the largest file we had seen, the most recent and was simply titled 'ROME'. Something told me that it held the answer to all our questions. Without having to say anything, Jonas clicked on it.

But nothing happened. The frozen screen began to flash as Jonas cried "No, no, no, NO, NOOOO NOT AGAIN!" and started typing furiously at the keyboard.

With a little poof of smoke, the state of the art computer died- and so did part of Jonas's soul.

"So that was all for nothing then?" Nick said, irritated and frustrated. "We still don't know why she's here!"

"It wasn't for nothing" I said standing up and thinking. "We know that whatever was on that file- whatever happened in Rome- is important and somebody doesn't want us to know about it. How long until you can get us back in?" I said turning back to Jonas who was clutching his dead laptop, silently rocking back and forth, muttering like a lunatic. He didn't seem to here me, so I tried again, waving a hand in front of his vacant expression. "Jonas, hello? How long?" he turned to looked at me as if _I_ was the mad one.

"No. No, I am _not_ risking _that_ happening again! Do you have ANY idea how much work I just lost? And for what? I honestly don't care why she's here. No. Never again!" he said and continued his muttering.

I shared a worried look with Nick and we silently agreed to ask Jonas again later when he had… recovered.

Just then Grant returned from visiting the gym. He froze when he saw the mess in the corner that was Jonas. "What's wrong with him?" he said, pulling a face and keeping his distance as if Jonas might bite.

"Nothing." was all I said.

* * *

Cam P.O.V.

I lay on my grey bed, in my grey empty room, staring at the grey ceiling, thinking the same thing that I had been for the past two days; _they know_.

I was on bed rest, 'recovering' though in my expert opinion I was perfectly recovered. Well, maybe not mentally, but that's a different issue. And after two boring, endless days with nothing to do and no one to talk to, my mind was starting to wonder.

I sat up suddenly, not able to stay in that empty room for a minute longer. The guards outside my door for my 'protection' meant I couldn't just walk out. Well- I could, but didn't particularly feel in the mood for taking down two guards twice the size of me, _just_ to go for a walk.

It didn't take long to climb out the window and down the side of the building along the gutters- I was only on the third floor after all. I crept along the shadows of the building soundlessly, enjoying the fresh air. It was 3:26pm and out on the lawn the sophomores were running laps under the hot sun. I could hear gunshots of G&W from the other side of the grounds and a chopper humming in the distance. No body noticed as I walked out of the shadows and into broad daylight across the lawn. They wouldn't- I'm the chameleon.

I wondered around the grounds for a while, through the forest, not really heading anywhere in particular. Simply enjoying the change of scenery. I walked until I couldn't hear the waterfall, the gunshots or anyone.

 _Blackthorn really is in the most beautiful place_ , I thought as I reached the other side of the forest. The mountains in front of me looked like they were taken straight from a postcard. It was hard to imagine that just on the other side of the forest, young boys were learning how to up buildings and disarm nuclear bombs.

I sat down on the grass in the sun and closed my eyes, heightening my other senses.

I knew I shouldn't be so far from the school, after what had just happened, but I doubted the circle would try anything again too soon. Still, I kept my ears open.

I thought back to the day before when my Mum had called. I was so relieved to hear her voice, to hear her call me 'kiddo' again. It had been less than a week since I had left Gallagher but it seemed like years since I had seen her.

Joe had told her everything that had happened- naturally- and she needed to make sure I was okay. I wasn't, but she knew that. She knew me.

"I don't know, Cammie. I'll work something out." My mum had said when I asked her what was going to happen next. "For now though I'll have people posted outside your door at _all times_ for protection…"

Yeah, well my 'protection' were doing a _great_ job. They had already let me sneak out of the building, so I doubted they could stop anyone from sneaking in. It's understandable that they didn't make me feel too safe.

Honestly, I was beginning to forget what safe felt like.

Hours passed and I felt the sun getting lower in the sky. I knew I should get back to Blackthorn soon but I felt like even if I tried to move, I wouldn't be able to. It was so peaceful where I was. _Just five more minutes_ I told myself for about the twelfth time.

They didn't make a sound, but I felt the presence of someone standing beside me. And somehow I knew that that person was smirking.

"Stop smirking" I said without opening my eyes.

"I don't you're talking about" Zach said, faking confusion and sitting down beside me. "I never smirk"

I opened my eyes and looked at him in all his smirking glory and raised an eyebrow. "Sure." was all I said and turned back to my view.

Zach did the same. "You seem better." he said, not looking at me.

"I was until about two minutes ago" I replied.

He chuckled a bit "What, don't you just _love_ my company?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Oh yes Zach, I just _love_ our little chats," I said smiling slightly.

He smiled too- an actual smile- not a smirk!

"Shouldn't you be recovering?" he asked after a moment. Did Zachary Goode actually sound _concerned_ about me?

"I've done enough recovering, besides," I said, squinting into the sun "I've been through worse"

"I know," he said. I gave him a confused look, then he just pointed to himself and said "spy", the smirk returning. I just rolled my eyes- which I seemed to be doing a lot of around Zach.

There was a silence, "So I see you've found my spot." He said, motioning all around us.

"Well, you have good taste" I replied.

"I found it back in my first year" he said. The sun was setting now, casting an orange light on his face. "On my first day actually. We were dropped in the middle of the mountains, about twenty miles out, and told to find our way to Blackthorn, not even knowing what the place looked like." He told me, his smirk fading. "I found this place on the third day. I thought I was still miles away, but Blackthorn t was right there. I've come back ever since"

I got the sense that Zach didn't open up to people very often, and wondered why he felt like he could talk to me. He was serious now. No smirk in sight.

"Why are you here Cammie?" he asked turning to look at me. I realised it was the first time he had used my actual name.

I cleared my throat and looked away "I just couldn't be in that room a moment longer… so I went for a walk"

"You know what I mean" he replied.

I did know what he meant. _Why are you here? Why are you at blackthorn? Why did someone try to kill you? Who are you running from?_ They were all questions I couldn't answer.

So I didn't say anything, and Zach seemed to understand.

Moments later, my stomach decided to demonstrate what a dying whale sounded like, and I realised how hungry I was. I looked sheepishly at Zach who raised an eyebrow but then pulled a packet of peanut M&M's from his pocket.

We sat in a comfortable silence eating M&M's, watching the sun go down and I realised that Zachary Goode wasn't all bad.

 **aww i really enjoyed writing that! hope you liked reading it, and don't forget to review. action is on its way...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey people! chapter 7 is here with a bang. i really enjoyed writing this - its been my favourite so far- and i hope you like it too. Please review!**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own any of the characters, only the plot.**

Cam P.O.V.

Over the summer, I had gotten very used to being alone. My friends had been sent home and I was practically imprisoned at Gallagher. Any spy – let alone girl– would find it hard to spend three months with nothing but your own thoughts to keep you company.

Every operative knows that your mind is big enough to get lost inside of – you can go mad if you're left with too much time on my hands and very little to do. So, I took a page out of Bex's book and started working out every free moment that I had- which was all of my moments.

I had always been fit – it's kind of a necessity for people in my line of work. But after three months of constant press-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, lunges and countless other painful moves to distract me from my thoughts, I was stronger than ever.

It was 4:03am and – you guessed it – I couldn't sleep again. What better way to pass the time than with a short session of 300 press-ups? So much for recovering. My recently dislocated shoulder was starting to complain and I thought back to earlier, after my little excursion.

It was dark by the time we returned, and I was expecting a _serious_ telling off from Joe as he strode towards me across the lawn and told Zach to go inside for dinner with a stern look on his face.

"You look better," he said once Zach had left. His face was a mask, impossible to read, I couldn't tell if he was mad or not.

Looking past me he said "you know, I was under the impression that you were given _exact_ orders to not run off and _stay in your room_. I had no idea it was such a difficult task." His voice was cold and humourless, so different from the Joe I knew. This was Mr Solomon speaking.

"Honestly if you didn't want me to escape then you should have tried harder." I said nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "The window was basically begging to be climbed out of…I'm surprised those guards even noticed I was gone…"

Mr Solomon turned his cold gaze to me and said, "This isn't a game Cammie"

"I know that-" I started but he cut me off.

"No. I don't think you do, or you wouldn't be putting yourself at risk like this every second my back is turned." He snapped, his voice rising slightly. I was quiet and Joe took a deep breath and said quietly "I cant loose you too."

Great. I'd done it again. I'd hurt someone who cared about me. All I did was hurt people or get them hurt. It needed to end or soon I knew I would have no-one left.

Mr Solomon took another deep breath and smiled a small smile- the Joe I knew returning. "I wont tell Rachel," he said, knowing that it would only panic her. "Go inside. Get some food with the rest of them".

I nodded, about to leave, then turned and hugged him- saying sorry. He hugged back and I knew that everything was okay.

As I walked into the hall I realised that the stares and whispers didn't bother me (the chameleon) like they once did. I was getting so used to being the odd one out, the only girl at a boys school. Stares and whispers followed me everywhere now.

I found my seat next to Grant and ate my food in silence, simply enjoying being surrounded by a buzz of people. Zach didn't say much either- seemed to be lost in thought, just stared at his food with a frown on his face. The food was pretty damn good, almost as good as –

There was a soft click at the door. It was so quiet that any normal person wouldn't have heard it. But I'm not a normal person. I'm a Gallagher girl. And with the speed of one, I was up and standing behind the door, grabbing the closest thing to me that could be used as a weapon- an eyeliner pencil.

I braced myself for a fight as the lock clicked again and my intruder slowly turned the handle.

The door flung open and the silhouette of a man in the doorframe appeared. Before they had a chance to realise I was not sleeping in my bed, I attacked, kicking him hard in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. I pushed him up against the wall, his arms immobilized and pressed the pencil to his neck. Even though he was much taller than me I knew I had the upper hand.

"Why did I ever worry about you," my attacker laughed and I released them, turning on the lights to see Joe.

"A pencil?" he said raising an eyebrow and rubbing his neck.

"You'd be surprised." I breathed looking at the seemingly harmless tool, thinking back to the great stationary incident of 2008. "They can be _very_ deadly,"

"So, do you ha a reason for breaking into my room, other than to scare me?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Joe just smiled and handed me a black blindfold. "CoveOps"

* * *

 **Number of hours I slept on the ride: zero**

 **Number of hours the ride took: seven hours and thirteen minutes**

 **Number of times my stomach growled: eleven**

 **Number of questions asked: zero**

 **Number of questions I wanted to ask: one hundred and fifty six**

After seven hours of nothing but Grants snoring in my ear, you can imagine how relieved I was to hear Mr Solomon bark out "Blindfolds off!"

I tugged at the black band covering my eyes and blinked, adjusting to the bright light as the helicopter made its quick decent. I was very aware of three things 1) my hair looked like I had just been dragged through a hedge, 2) I had missed breakfast, 3) We were surrounded by planes of all shapes and sizes- which could only mean one thing. We were at an airport.

Joe clapped his hands together and said "Today gentlemen- and lady" he added looking at me. "We will be playing a game. A very serious game" he added at the excited look on Nicks face.

"Every operative knows that in the face of an emergency, you must always remain _calm_. If you create a reason for the public to panic, before you know it there can be chaos"

"In pairs you will all be given a target, a goal and three hours to achieve it without any tails, and most importantly without causing a stir. That is crucial, _especially_ in a place like this" he said, motioning to the airport around us.

"You must stay calm, or you give the game away"

He picked up a folder from behind him and started handing out files and our covers. "Thomas, you'll be working with Grant. Jonas, you work with Nick…" he partnered up the class, until finally he came to me "Cammie, you can work with Zach" _surprise surprise_ , I thought.

I opened my file, which included a brief of my mission, target and my new fake passport with a ticket inside. I opened it to see that my new name was Melanie J. Robertson, nineteen years old, travelling to Seattle, Washington.

Mr Solomon kicked a bag forward, full of clothes and said "Get ready. You are tourists, now you need to look the part" looking around at the class, all dressed in black, we looked more like a contemporary dance group than tourists.

"Your luggage," Joe said, pointing to a van full of bags outside the helicopter, "and your comms." He nodded to a box full of sunglasses, headphones, badges and bags, which all no doubt also had secret cameras.

"Gear up." Joe said, "We leave in five."

* * *

"So Gallagher girl, what should we do now?" Zach said as if we weren't on a mission and didn't have a care in the world.

Our task had been fairly simple- to tail a pilot and retrieve the codes on both his passport and his ticket. Slipping through security was far easier than it should have been- seriously making me question the safety of the airport- and we had gotten the codes before the first of the three hours was up. Now came the tricky part- loosing our tails.

We had nearly a whole two hours until we needed to meet Solomon in the first class lounge. That was more than enough time to loose a tail – and to also gain lots more.

"Gallagher girl…?" Zach nudged me, getting my attention.

I sighed. "Firstly, I think you should stop calling me that" I told him, answering his question. His cover, Lewis J Sanders, was meant to be travelling with Melanie- _my_ cover-to Seattle. We were walking through the duty free shops, past the lounges, trying doing what I do best- blending in.

"Oh I'm so sorry _Melanie_." He said in a tone that told me he really wasn't sorry at all. Or taking any of this seriously. In fact _serious_ was the last thing that I would call Zach at that moment; while I had chosen a small silver necklace with a cross on it as my comms, Zach had picked something… less subtle. He had chosen a pair of massive- and I mean _massive_ \- oversized _neon yellow_ sunglasses. The kind that were normally meant to be worn as part of a costume. And he looked ridiculous.

His face was grinning as I added "And secondly, you should get rid of those glasses. Now. Please."

His smirk grew and he said in a playful tone, "Nah. I think _Lewis J Sanders_ would really love them. They're truly essential to his character."

"They cover half your face!" I exclaimed, not sure if I felt amused or frustrated.  
"Gallagher Girl, its okay, you can tell me the truth." Zach said mockingly. "If you missed my face so much, why didn't you just say?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I had no words. Years of training at Gallagher had prepared for many things, but not how to deal with this level of cockiness.

Zach just looked smugger than ever.

Suddenly I had a _brilliant_ idea. With the speed of a provoked Gallagher girl, I reached up and plucked the glasses off his face and dropped them into the trash. Then it was my turn to look smug as Zach's face dropped and he whispered "My sunglasses…."

"You're mean, Gallagher girl," he said in a fake wounded voice.

"They were drawing attention" I said matter of factly, with a small smirk. "They just had to go"

"Well, you _are_ the chameleon" he replied. "You know best" somehow I got the feeling he didn't believe that.

At that moment, we passed a man in a blue polo shirt and cap, carrying a rucksack. There was nothing unusual about him, other than the fact that ten minutes earlier he had been wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.

"Zach" I said quietly, turning on my comms.

"Got him," he replied.

* * *

"Beige trench coat, red bag and sunglasses" I said on the comms, describing a woman who had been trailing us for the last five minutes.

"Nice work miss Morgan" Joe said through my ear-piece as I watched the woman turn on her heels, her mission blown. In the forty-six minutes since our first tail, Zach and I had identified seven more and it was making me _seriously_ hungry.

I made a beeline for a hotdog stand, which in that moment smelled as good as chef Louis amazing cooking.

"Um, Gallagher girl," said Zach "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but is there a reason why we're buying hot dogs on a mission."

"I'm hungry, that's why" I replied. "And its what normal people do when they're hungry. And we're meant to be normal."

He was grinning that slow, mocking grin again as he said "There's nothing normal about you."

I wasn't sure if that was meant to be a complement or what it was meant to be. It was times like this where I wished I had Macey on hand to translate. I just decided to stay silent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a man in a grey business suit, carrying a briefcase and talking on the phone. It was the third time I had noticed him- one too many times to be a coincidence. I smiled to myself- they were getting lazy.

"You're making this too easy Joe," I said into my comms. "Briefcase, grey business suit, and on the phone"

"Err. No, sorry miss Morgan" Joe said. "That's not one of them"

"You're starting to slip Gallagher girl," Zach teased, smirking like there was no tomorrow.

I looked around for my 'guards' who had been subtly trailing us all day. But they were nowhere to be seen. I felt my heart beat faster and my blood turn cold as I realised something was _very_ wrong.

"No." I said quietly. Because what Joe was saying didn't make sense. Because that man _was_ following us.

"No, I'm not"


	8. Chapter 8

**I hope you like chapter 8!**

Zach P.O.V.

"No, I'm not," Cammie had whispered. All of the blood had drained from her face, turning her completely white. She was frozen still- from fear, or maybe shock? I couldn't tell but whatever it was, it was worrying me.

"Gallagher girl?" I said, but there was no response. She was staring past me, her eyes glazed over, apparently not hearing a word I was saying. "Cammie?" I tried, standing in front of her, shaking her shoulders. "Hey, Cam! Are you okay?"

Her eyes fixed on mine as she finally seemed to hear me and I knew from that look that everything was _not_ okay. "Zach" she said quietly, "we need to _go."_

She didn't need to tell me twice. Her tone told me that this- whatever it was- was serious. We started walking again, acting naturally- to anyone else we looked like two normal people, about to start a holiday. Nobody would guess we were being followed.

And we _were_ being followed. Cammie was right; the man with the briefcase was tailing us and not trying very hard to hide it.

Very abruptly we turned a corner and headed into a large crowd of shoppers, trying to loose them. It didn't work.

"Joe?" Cammie said through the comms, her voice tense. "Who is he?"

"I don't know, he's not one of mine." Joe replied. "Keep moving. Try to loose him" he ordered.

The next few minutes were spent making sharp turns, moving around the airport in the most illogical way possible. We moved as fast as we dared without causing a scene and dove through crowds to confuse him.

I looked behind us in the reflection of a shop window to see if he was still there. "He's got a friend." I said, seeing the larger man in a similar attire hot on his heels.

"I see them" Cammie replied without turning. "Joe, is this part of the lesson?" she asked on comms. "Tell me the truth."

"No, its not" he answered then swore in Romanian. Through the comms it sounded like he was running. But more worryingly, it sounded like the legendary Joe Solomon was scared.

"Okay look. You're going to have to run." He told us. "You might have to fight. Get to a private place, away from people. We are on our way. And Zach" Solomon said using my first name. " _Do not let them take her."_

No pressure then.

"You know Gallagher girl" I said, my voice slightly tense, "now would be a great time to tell me who exactly we are running from" but of coarse, I didn't get an answer. Not that I ever really expected one.

I looked around for a way out or anywhere that was less crowded. I spotted a sign that read maintenance and an arrow pointing towards the back of the food court. "This way" I said tugging at Cammie's hand. We reached a set of double doors with a sign that read 'staff only'. Perfect.

The corridor on the other side was white and clean, with store cupboards every few feet, but most importantly, it was abandoned.

We set off at a run down the corridor putting as much distance between our pursuers and us as possible. Behind us I could here feet chasing after us. We rounded a corner and Cammie skidded to a halt. If I didn't have years of training I would have ran straight into her but instead I stopped and saw what she did; four more men with the same nasty expression blocking our exit.

I turned back around to see that our number of chasers had doubled. We were going to have to fight.

"Four for you, four for me." I said to Cammie, not taking my eyes off the attackers. "I've got your back." I told her

One of my men- the one in the grey suit and an evil grin spoke. "Get the girl," he said in a low voice. I braced myself for a fight as they moved towards me.

"Do you trust me?" I asked Cammie under my breath.

"I trust you."

* * *

Cam P.O.V.

The blow meant for my jaw whizzed past as a blur of knuckles. I swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the hit as one of my attackers sent another punch flying my way.

"Get the girl," they had said. Not kill the girl. They needed me- for what, I didn't know. But the looks on their faces told me that they were still willing to hurt me in the process.

I knew how to handle myself against multiple attackers, but that didn't mean it was easy. A fight of four against one is tough– even for Gallagher girl.

I knew I could win, but I had to stay focused.

Block. Swing. Kick. Never let my guard down.

There was a sickening crunch and my attacker yelled out in pain as I brought my foot down hard on his upper leg. He dragged himself backwards, unable to continue. But there was no time to rest- I still had three more opponents.

One lunged towards me. He was massive- easily double my size- and would have crushed me if I hadn't stepped aside, just in the nick of time. I spun on my heel, lifting my other leg and delivering a swift kick to his torso.

A pair of hands wrapped under my arms and over my shoulders, yanking me backwards. I kicked and thrashed as the larger man grabbed hold of my legs and I was lifted off the ground. I flailed and squirmed in their hold but it didn't work - between them, they were easily four times my weight.

I stopped twisting, took a deep breath and crashed my head back into my attackers nose. He loosened his grip – just slightly – but it was enough. With all my force, I broke his hold, pulled my legs free and kicked the larger man in the face- knocking him out cold.

I fell to the floor – hard. Every part of my body ached, especially my shoulder, but I couldn't rest. Not yet. I jumped to my feet and faced my opponent.

Punch, block, swing. Drop to the floor. Roll clear, stand. Don't let him connect. A last kick and then I only had one attacker left.

I heard a yell from behind me. I turned to see Zach, shaking his bloody hand and cursing in Farsi. Three crumpled bodies lay around him, while the last of his attackers raised their fists.

Zach was good- great, even. And suddenly I knew why I had been paired with him. Joe trusted him. Knew that he could take care of himself if things went wrong, just as they had now.

I was only turned for a second- less that that- but it was too long.

A crushing blow struck my chest — I felt myself flying backwards, crashing into the ground. Before I could even register what had just happened, my attacker was on me, his weight pushing all the air out of my lungs. With all the strength I could muster, I somehow rolled him off of me and wriggled free, staggering to my feet.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw his fist flying towards my face. I ducked, but not fast enough. I heard the crunch of knuckles across my face before I felt it. The impact snapped my head to the side, tearing my stitches back open. Blood covered my eye, obscuring my vision and I staggered backwards, sending a fist in the general direction of my assailant.

I was pushed into the wall, half bind and exhausted. My arms were immobilised, pinned behind my back. I felt a hand clench around my throat, cutting off my already ragged breaths.

 _No…they need me…._ I thought, trying to squirm free. The little amount of fight I had left in me was fading fast. My vision had started to blur. I was about to loose consciousness. _They need me…._

I couldn't move. I couldn't breath. All I could do was stare down the man who was strangling the life out of me.

Suddenly he crumpled to the ground, releasing me.

I fell to the floor, rubbing my neck and breathing in deep, deep breaths. Through my spotted vision I looked up and saw the last person I was expecting to see.

Bex.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! So I've got another chapter for you! I really enjoyed writing this one because its about the girls, which i hadn't really gotten a chance to write about yet. But don't worry, Zammie is on its way i promise. This one is also a quite a wee bit longer than the other chapters and I hope it answers some questions!**

 **Disclaimer : I'm still not Ally Carter... whyyyyy**

Cam P.O.V.

FLASHBACK TO ROME

I felt sick to my stomach with nerves. And excitement. And fear. And all the emotions you would expect to feel right before you rob a bank.

Well- when I say 'rob a bank', I don't _actually_ mean stealing. There would be no theft involved (if all went to plan). It was more of a sneak-in-to-find-answers-about-why-a-terrorist-organization-wanted-to-kidnap-me kind of activity, but I thought 'rob a bank' somehow had more of a ring to it.

I was standing on the top floor of the American embassy, watching as the sun rose over Rome. For anyone else, getting access to the home of the ambassador would be incredibly challenging, but when one of your best friends is a McHenry, anything is possible.

The embassy was a place to spend the night and, more importantly, it provided a perfect view of our target- la Banca dell'Impero.

I had been starting down at the bank for the passed two hours and had every marbled stone of the place memorised. It was old, grand and beautiful, like so many of the buildings we had already seen in Rome. But I wasn't studying it for it's architecture. If we wanted to get in and out without raising any alarms, we needed to know everything we could about the building beforehand.

Bex stood beside me, so quiet that I barely knew she was there. She was on guard watch, but in all honesty, it felt more like she was on Cammie-watch. Ever since we had left Gallagher the day before, she had practically stayed glued to my side.

Bex had made it very clear that she wasn't happy about us leaving the safe walls of Gallagher, despite this being the first real lead we had gotten. She quickly realised I was going and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me. She then insisted that if I was leaving, then there was 'no bloody way in hell' I was leaving alone.

It was only 4:33 am but we were all awake. We hadn't slept since the plane and wouldn't again until _this_ was all over. Behind me Liz was on her laptop, hacking into all the security cameras within a mile of the bank. Macey was pouring over the underground maps of the catacombs, figuring out possible escape routes in case of an emergency.

And me? I simply stared down at the last place my father had been before he disappeared.

Before he had vanished from my life completely, he and Joe had been closer than anyone to taking down the circle. I had found my dads journals hidden in Joes cabin at Christmas and we had spent the majority of the time since trying to decode them. They documented the whole thing, from his time at Blackthorn to his last entry in Rome.

Hope. That's what I felt. The single most dangerous thing for a spy to feel. Hope that maybe, just maybe, the answer to the question ' _What happened to my dad?_ ' lay behind those stone walls.

Maybe it was just a bank. Maybe it was important. Or maybe it had nothing to do with why the circle wanted me or what had happened to my dad. Maybe it was just a coincidence that this was the last place he wrote about. But if there's one thing my father ever taught me, it's that there are no coincidences.

I didn't need to turn around to know that Preston had just walked in. The guy lacked the quiet gene that I guessed all spies were born with. He didn't know why we were here but swore he wouldn't say anything or ask any questions. We had saved his life in Boston- he owed us.

He was talking with Macey-though it was more like talking _at_ Macey. She barely acknowledged his presence. She just rolled her eyes at his attempts to make her laugh and sighed when he asked how she had been. But I knew it was all an act. Both the spy and girl in me saw the way she watched him when he wasn't looking and how she blushed when he called her 'Mace'. She genuinely was happy to see him- not that she would _ever_ let him know that.

Hours passed and I didn't move a muscle. The sun was shining down over the busy square where people were buying gelato. I felt my stomach growl and had to tell myself that this was not the time for ice cream.

I watched from the window as Preston's father got into a shiny black car with enough armouring to survive a bombing and drove away. Even from a distance, I could tell he was anxious about something. He had been walking very quickly for a man of his stature and talking rapidly on the phone. I was too far away to even begin to guess what it was about- he was probably just running late.

The constant clock in my head told me that it was 11:30am. The bank had been open for hours- it was _me_ that hadn't been ready, not able to turn away from the window. It was stupid. We were wasting time.

I took a deep breath and turned to the others. "It's time." I told them. I felt Bex stiffen beside me

"I'm not okay with this. At all" she said, finally removing her binoculars from her face and looking at me.

"Yeah I know, you made that very clear," I said giving her a small reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, the circle has no way of knowing we're here. Besides," I said nudging her jokingly "I've got the best spies I know looking after me."

She raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Thanks, but I'd still rather have Joe Solomon as part of your security than just the three of us." She told me, folding her arms.

"She'll be fine" Macey said, crossing the room and standing by my side. Macey got it - she had spent nearly half a year believing she was the target of the Circle of Cavan. She knew what it felt like to be constantly surrounded by security with thousands of questions and no answers. Now I needed answers, and she would stand by me to get them.

Bex only saw the danger. Maybe that was smart of her.

"There's a reason your mom and everyone were keeping you safe at Gallagher you know." Bex said in a low voice.

Guilt rushed through me when I thought of the panic my mother was probably feeling at that moment. I didn't tell my Mom or Abby we were going because there was no way in hell they would let me fly off to Rome. Deep down I think I knew that they were probably wise- I shouldn't be here. But this was the closest I had felt to my father in years. Even if it had nothing to do with the circle, I wanted to be here. Because of him.

"Bex, I _need_ to be here."

When you know someone for as long as I've known Bex, sometimes all you need to communicate with them is a look. One look and she understood. She didn't like it, but she understood.

She took a deep breath and sighed, knowing it was no good arguing.

"Lets go then."

* * *

 **At approximately 1150 hours on Saturday, June 12, Operative Morgan received a serious warning from Agent Baxter, a stylish tracking device from Agent McHenry and an alarmingly strong hug from Agent Sutton (which may have caused some serious bruising)**

 **At approximately 1200 hours the Operative bought some much needed gelato then entered la Banca dell'Impero, with absolutely no idea what she was looking for.**

As I walked across the square and into the bank, I was more exposed than I had been in months. There was no security surrounding me, just the reassuring voices of my three best friends in my ear. Despite the obvious danger I was in, I felt strangely safe. I had my girls to protect me. It was _their_ safety I worried about- the circle needed me alive, not my friends.

I pushed that thought aside- it was no use worrying about something that would never happen. The circle had no way of knowing I was here. It would all be fine.

I was dressed in a navy dress and a dark blazer. Macey had nearly forced me into a _very_ tall pair of heels but Bex made the point that its quite difficult to run away in pointy tall shoes- even for a Gallagher girl. Not that I thought we would _need_ to do any running away. Still, I was grateful for my flats. I looked smart, but not over dressed. I blended in perfectly with the bankers in smart suits. Nobody noticed me.

I didn't know what exactly I was looking for- anything that seemed connected to the circle or my father. I looked around the large open space as if something obvious might jump out at me, but nothing did. So, I did what Joe had always told me to do- notice things.

The lobby was like a grand, beautifully sculpted cave. The marble floor was so polished, it was practically a mirror, reflecting he high ceiling above me. There was a large potted plant at the reception and clocks showing the times of New York, London and Hong Kong. Across the room making a withdrawal was Macey, who _was_ wearing heels and pulling her card out of her incredibly expensive designer bag.

First things first, we needed to find out if my father had ever banked at la Banca dell'Impero. We needed to get to one of the inside computers to find the list of clients- Liz could only find out so much from outside the building.

"Keep walking towards the back of the room" Liz told me on my comms. She was tucked away safely in the embassy, just were we liked her to be, with her laptop and the plans of the building, watching everything. "There's a corridor on the right, keep walking down it until you get to the double doors and I'll buzz you in"

I did as she said and found Bex and Macey ready and waiting for me. Twenty-Six minutes, eleven unconscious guards and eight unlocked doors later and we were in the governors' office on the top floor (with the help of Liz of coarse).

"Okay Lizzie, tell us what to do," said Macey who was standing at the door, keeping watch.

"We've got to be quick," she warned us. "You've only got about another seven minutes till someone comes way".

Despite the fact I go to a school for _geniuses_ , I was still struggling to keep up with Liz as she told us what to. I had no idea what I was typing. It was like Liz was speaking a whole different language- one that even I didn't know. Even then I had the feeling she was dumbing her instructions down for us. There were lots of sighs and frustrated "no, not that button"s. I was reminded of the time when I tried to teach Grandpa Morgan how to send an email, except this time _I_ was Grandpa Morgan.

Finally we were in. Into the search bar I typed _Matthew Andrew Morgan_ and pressed enter. Nothing.

Maybe he was using a fake name. There was silence as I typed in all the covers I knew my father had ever used. Still nothing.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe he had never even made it to Rome. I felt that little amount of hope I had left disintegrating as I realised we had come all this way for nothing.

Bex was shaking my shoulder "We cant stay Cam, we have to go. Now."

I snapped out of it, now was not the time to shut down. This place was a fortress. It was a miracle we had gotten in but now we still had to get out. We had to be careful; avoid the cameras, avoid people and don't set off any flares.

Quickly and silently we fled the office, making sure it looked exactly as it had before we arrived.

"This way" Macey said when we reached the ground floor, leading us through a back exit and out into an empty ally.

We had done it; we had gotten in and out of the bank of Italy, one of the most secure facilities in the country in under an hour. But I didn't feel proud. I felt empty.

We had no new answers. It was all for nothing. We were back where we had started two years ago, only this time in the sunny streets of Rome and not Boston.

"Lets get you off the streets" Bex said, taking charge and grabbing my arm. "This isn't safe. Cam, _lets go_ "

"Its okay Cam, this doesn't mean anything." Macey was saying, trying to reassure me. "We're close now - we'll find something soon, I'm sure of it…"

But I wasn't listening. I wasn't moving. I _couldn't._ Because that's when I saw him. My dad.

* * *

It was only for a fraction of a second, but I was sure. It was him- I'd know that face anywhere. I blinked and he was gone – disappeared around the side of the building.

Then I ran- faster than I'd ever ran in all my life. He was slipping away. I couldn't let him leave. I ran faster.

Behind me I could here my friends screaming, telling me to stop, to slow down. Liz was there too, yelling in my ear to go back. I ripped out my comms.

I couldn't stop. I couldn't think - I could only run.

I rounded the corner, my eyes searching frantically till I saw him on the other side of the crowded square. In that moment I wasn't Cammie the chameleon - I was a mad girl, sprinting through a piazza and shoving people aside. A fatherless daughter, determined to reach her dad. I was more noticeable than I had ever been but I didn't care.

I darted through the cobbled streets of Rome, never stopping, not even for a second. My eyes never left his back. I was a girl on a mission, and that mission was my father. I followed him until there were no more people, no more cars or shops. Only me and him.

Finally he stood still, his back to me. My throat felt raw and my heart was leaping as I took a deep breath in and whispered "Dad?"

He turned around. I took a step back. It was his face, but that was where the similarities ended.

How many times had I dreamed that I would see my dad, alive and in front of me? Thousands upon thousands of times. But in that moment I wished I could un-see everything before me.

My father had never looked at me with anything but kindness and love – the opposite of this mans expression. It was a dangerous look. He was a dangerous man.

 _I'm not safe,_ I realised as I looked up into the dark eyes that were _not_ my fathers.

It was as though I could see clearly for the first time. This was not my dad. I know a fake nose when I see one. In fact, looking closely I saw the folds of prosthetics on his face, making this man, this _impersonator_ , into the splitting image of my father.

And that's when I knew it was a trap. And I was alone, with no comms, and no backup. I looked around, truly seeing my surroundings for the first time. I was in an alley, somewhere far from roads and people, judging by the silence.

I was stupid. So _unbelievably_ stupid. I cursed myself for being so impulsive. I wanted to scream and cry and curl up in ball, never to move again. But emotions could wait. For now I needed to survive.

I turned on my heels and started to run again, not sure at all where I was or where I was going. The alleys were small and winding. They seemed old as the city itself. The cobblestone below me was uneven, but I didn't dare lose my footing- my pursuer was on my heels.

The alley widened out into an empty street. I took a left turn and knocked a bin down behind me, slowing the man down. That's when I saw the van.

It was waiting for me. Memories of Boston flooded my mind as I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, numbing the exhaustion I would surely feel later. I couldn't stop. I had to keep going.

I heard a familiar voice scream "CAMMIE!" I turned to see my Mom, barrelling down the street towards me, wearing the same panicked expression as Bex running in front of her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the man behind me and turned completely white. Behind them sprinting at full speed were Macey, Abby, Joe and Mr Baxter. Part of me wondered what they were doing here, but mostly I was just relieved to see them. I ran towards them.

Bex reached me first, pushing me to the wall and throwing herself in front of me.

I didn't understand why until I saw the gun.

I don't know exactly what happened next. It was all a blur.

The shot rang out. Before the man could fire again, Joe had kicked the gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground. One hit to the head and he was out cold. Abby was firing after the van that was speeding away down the narrow street.

Bex had fallen to the ground, howling in unbearable pain like I had never seen her before. Not physical pain – no, something much, much worse.

I stood shocked, watching as Mr Baxter bled onto the cobblestones.

Mr Baxter who took me in over Christmas when there was nowhere safe for me to go. Mr Baxter who was funny and kind and _good_ and wanted nothing but the best for his family and friends. Mr Baxter who treated me like _family_ … was dead. Because of me.

There was a sleek black car parked at the far end of the street. Part of me knew it was familiar. But I only saw Bex looking through me with eyes that would never forgive…


	10. Chapter 10

**So here is chapter 10, it was really emotional to write but i think you will like it. as always please review and let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer : i only own the plot.**

PREVIOUSLY _(AT THE AIRPORT);_

 _I couldn't move. I couldn't breath. All I could do was stare down the man who was strangling the life out of me._

 _Suddenly he crumpled to the ground, releasing me._

 _I fell to the floor, rubbing my neck and breathing in deep, deep breaths. Through my spotted vision I looked up and saw the last person I was expecting to see._

 _Bex._

Cam P.O.V.

I knew I should do something – say something, _think_ something – anything but stay collapsed on the floor in the unsafe environment I was in. But all I could do was stare up in to the eyes of my best friend. Eyes I knew so well, that were now cold and empty - there was no hate there, no loathing like I expected to see - just indifference.

Zach was watching, not sure if he should attack or thank this strange, silent, staring girl who had saved me. The three of us were alone but for the crumpled bodies all around us. But I only saw Bex, looking _through_ me as if I wasn't even there. It made me feel sick. She dropped her cold gaze and turned away; the sight of me too much for her to bear.

"CAMMIE!" someone yelled. I turned away from Bex and saw Abby running towards us with Joe and a handful of other agents following right behind her. I felt as equally relieved to see her as I felt confused. Why was she here? Why was _Bex_ here?

"Cam, you're okay!" my aunt breathed as she pulled me to my feet and into a bone-crushing hug. I knew it was more of a question than a statement. I tried to speak, to reassure her, but my raw recently strangled throat wouldn't allow it. I just nodded and smiled a small smile.

Joe kneeled down, examining our unconscious attackers with a frown on his face. All around us were new faces, holding guns and wearing serious expressions. All except for one.

In two long strides Macey had pushed her way forwards and enveloped me in a long hug. It had only been a week since I had seen her, but it had been one of the longest weeks of my life.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you" I half croaked, half whispered. I could feel my throat tighten and tears beginning to fill my eyes, but swore to myself that I would not cry in front of these people.

"I've missed you too" she replied softly, hugging me tightly before letting go. She took a step back and looked over me in all my bloody and bruised glory. "You look like hell," she told me with a small smile. I laughed slightly, knowing it was true.

It didn't make sense - why was she here? Why were any of them here?

"Cove ops mission," she said, answering my unspoken question.

Before I could ask anything else – and believe me, I still had a lot of questions – Joe was at my side, a hand guiding me back down the corridor.

"Come on," he said gruffly. "There'll be time for a catch up later. We're getting you out of here."

I started walking towards the exit, a small army protecting me on either side. I looked back to where Bex stood – maybe to say goodbye, or sorry or _something_ \- But she was already gone.

* * *

Zach P.O.V.

The ride back to Blackthorn was a long and silent one. But I was grateful for it – everyone knows that long and silent journeys are the best time to think.

Classes had never been _normal_ at Blackthorn. We weren't taught PE, we were trained in advanced martial arts and guns and ware fare. Instead of chemistry, we learned about the theory of poison and how to make bombs from old car parts. At dinner we rarely spoke English and some of our teachers were wanted in a total of _thirty-two_ countries.

No, Blackthorn wasn't normal - and neither were our school trips. But few of them had ever ended in a chase, a rescue team and a seriously worried Joe Solomon.

The helicopter was quiet, but I could almost hear the unspoken questions in the air. Questions that seemed to follow Cammie everywhere. Questions I wanted the answers to myself.

 _Get the girl_ they had said. But _why_? Why did they want her? Why was _Joe Solomon_ of all people so afraid?

And who were those other girls? I didn't have to be a spy to guess that they students at Gallagher. The tall one who had hugged her was a friend, or someone she cared about – that much was obvious. But not the other one, the one who had saved her – there was something there between them, but it wasn't friendship.

After the fight the entire cove-ops mission had quickly been cancelled and we were loaded back into the chopper. The unconscious attackers had been whisked away – no doubt to Langley for questioning. I had been given bandages and an icepack for my beaten hand but no information. I knew better than to ask questions. I understood that whatever Cammie was involved in – whatever _I_ had just gotten involved in – it was classified.

Cammie sat next to Solomon across form me, staring out the window, off into the distance with a small frown on her forehead. There was still blood on her face – a lot of it – but she was too lost in her thoughts to care.

She turned and looked at me, moving for the first time in hours. I didn't try to hide the fact I was staring at her. I didn't look away. Instead I challenged her, I didn't back down and neither did she. I was trying to figure her out, but she was impossible to read. She didn't smile, or roll her eyes like usual. She just looked drained. After a while she dropped her gaze and started back out the window for the rest of the ride home.

It was almost dark by the time the chopper landed. The class was completely silent, except for the rumbling sound of Grant's stomach, as we stepped back onto the grounds of Blackthorn.

Cammie walked ahead of the rest of us, disappearing around the side of the building. After everything that had happened, I wasn't sure how wise it was for her to be alone. I didn't know why I was so invested in her - I barely knew her – but still, I felt nervous watching her disappear into the dark. I shook my head, knowing I was being stupid.

"She'll be fine," a voice said from beside me. It was Solomon, serious as always. For what felt like the hundredth time I wondered how he knew Cammie and why he cared about her so much. "Leave her." he warned me and then walked away.

So I did as Solomon had said, I went to my room and tried to forget about everything that had happened. Which lasted approximately 26 minutes before my curiosity won over and I found myself wondered through the dark grounds looking for 'the chameleon' – which is _not easy,_ by the way.

She was near the waterfall when I finally found her, pacing back and forth like an evil villain from a cheesy spy movie. She didn't hear me approach over the sound of crashing water. She had cleaned up, there was no more blood matted in her hair. If it wasn't for the weird pacing and obvious bruising she would look just like a normal girl, gone out for a walk. But _normal_ was the last thing I would describe Cammie as.

"So" I said walking up behind her, "are you ever gonna tell me what the hell just happened or not?"

She didn't turn when I spoke. "Go away Zach" she said so quietly I could barely hear her.

"No" I answered, "I _did_ save your ass out there. The least you could do is give me some answers." No response. She just started off, passed the waterfall, acting as if I wasn't even there.

"Just tell me what the hell I just got myself involved in!" I demanded, my fists clenching. I hadn't realised until then how frustrated I was. I wanted answers "Who were those guys and why are you running from them? Who was that girl?" Her eyes flashed as she turned and looked at me for the first time, but still she said nothing.

"Without me you would have been dead, or ' _taken_ ' or whatever it is they want with you"

"I could have handled that myself." She shot back, finally speaking up.

"Yeah, I'm sure you could have." I replied coldly. It was the truth, but it sounded like sarcasm in my voice.

She strode towards me in rage, and stood right in front of me. I didn't back down. "Go ahead. Underestimate me!" She hissed, her eyes narrowed. "I _dare_ you." She wanted a fight. I didn't rise to it.

"Trust me Gallagher girl," I said coolly. " _No-one_ underestimates you."

There was a moment of silence as she calmed down, her glare softening. I could see the new bruises forming around her neck and hear the strain in her voice as she quietly said, "You didn't need to help me,"

"Yes I did," I said, sighing. "Because when you're out on the field - out in the real world - and your partner freezes the way you did today, you help them. And when _Joe Solomon_ tells you to do whatever you can to save that person, you do it. No questions asked."

She was quiet again. I could feel her breath on me and I suddenly realised how close we were standing. She did too and we both took a step back.

"Why are you here Cammie?" I asked again. Still no response. I sighed, "You know, this whole 'silence-treatment' thing is getting really old" She looked at the ground, apparently done talking.

"Okay, then answer me this," I said, trying a different angle. "What happened in Rome?"

She looked up quickly, not even trying to hide the shock that flashed across her face. "How do you know about that?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly.

"Spy" I said, half jokingly. But there was nothing funny about it. Neither of us were in the mood to laugh.

"Just tell me the truth Cammie." I said, trying one last time. "Or don't you trust me?"

Looking passed me, she said quietly "I _do_ trust you. For some reason. I don't know why but I do." She sighed and looked up. "Now will you trust _me_ when I tell you this – you're better off not knowing."

All the fight had left her. She shook her head slightly as she turned back towards the school. "Just leave me alone Zach. Please" she said and walked away.

* * *

Cam P.O.V.

I sat alone in the dinner hall, staring down at a plate of delicious food. I hadn't eaten since the airport but I didn't feel hungry anymore. Instead, I sat slouched and playing with my food, imagining how very disappointed Madame Dabney would be if she could see me.

I was sitting in the back of the hall, hidden in the shadows. Further down the long table were the rest if the seniors, completely oblivious that I was even there. That was the way I liked it - I didn't really want to be seen at that moment. It was at times like these when I was grateful for all my chameleonie-ness.

A hush fell over the hall and I looked up from my plate to see the headmaster - a small, excitable man who insisted we called him 'Dr Steve' - stand up in front of the school.

"Excuse me gentlemen," he said, with a massive grin on his face. "But I have an _excellent_ announcement to make!" Maybe I was just in an irritated mood, but something about the way he said 'excellent' was really getting on my nerves.

"For many years, this institution has prided itself on produced skilful and capable students, trained in the art of espionage, who are free to pursue whatever career path they choose." I stiffened slightly, knowing exactly what kind of 'careers' Blackthorn endorsed.

"But we are not alone," Dr Steve told us, beaming from ear to ear. "Gentlemen, I would like to welcome the exceptional young women of Gallagher Academy!"

The doors behind us opened and the girls I called my sisters walked in as a swirl of tartan skirts. Heads turned and jaws dropped. Abby was there too, leading the way to the front of the room, where Dr Steve was waiting with open arms. There was a moment of stunned silence before the wolf whistles started. I was very aware that most of it was aimed at my drop-dead-gorgeous aunt, who had just thrown a not-so-subtle wink at Joe.

Heads had turned in shock, but I wasn't surprised. What other explanation could there have been for the four extra beds I had found in my room earlier when I had returned? I didn't need to be a spy to put it all together.

Dr. Steve was still talking but I was pretty sure that no one was really listening.

"These excellent young women are here to build relationships that you will one day have to use in the field! Make the most of this experience gentlemen!"

I looked to where Bex stood, a little behind the rest of the group and realised It was hard to build relationships over broken ones.

There were a total of fifty Gallagher girls, who split up and found tables near the front of the room. I didn't get up. I didn't know if I could face them. Instead I stayed in the shadows for the rest of dinner, watching all the hair-flipping and eyelash-batting safely from a distance.

About an hour later (fifty-six minutes later to be precise) the Culture and Assimilation teacher offered to show the new guests of Blackthorn to their rooms. They got up and started walking in my direction, towards the back doors. I braced myself for the reunion that would surely follow.

Liz saw me first and let out a small squeal of joy as she gave me a massive hug "Cammie! You're alive!" she shrieked.

I laughed a little, "Of coarse I'm alive Lizzie," I said quietly. "It's only been a week"

"A lot can happen in a week! I heard about the airport and the attack!" she said so fast I could barely make out what she was saying. "Are you okay? How's your shoulder? Oh, and your head? What kind of tests did they do? Probably an MRI scan. Maybe CT scans too! And Ow! Those bruises look sore! Wait, can you still talk? Oh my god Cammie! Say something! Please say you're okay?"

I smiled a small reassuring smile, "Yes, I'm fine," I told me frantic friend. There was nothing was majorly wrong with me - at least not physically. "And I'll give you my medical records later if that would help." I said, only joking, but Liz thought that that was a brilliant idea.

When Liz finally let go of me, I greeted all my other classmates, knowing that most of Blackthorn was watching the whole exchange. I felt slightly normal again, being surrounded by my sisters. Everything felt familiar, I was just missing one person.

"Bex?" I said softly to the girl who stood a little apart from the others, not smiling or looking at me. The others were quiet again as I called out my best friend's name and walked towards her.

But before I could reach her, she fled out the door and around the corner without a word. This time I didn't freeze. This time, I followed.

I had to jog to keep up with her as she disappeared down the long dark corridor. "Bex" I tried to shout, but winced in pain – surely my throat was bleeding.

"Bex," I cried out, louder this time. "Bex stop!"

She slowed down as she reached the end of the corridor. Realising she had nowhere else to go she finally turned and faced me.

We were alone. For the first time since before summer. Months of silence hung in the air between us. I had so much I wanted to say, to ask, to apologise for, but in that moment I could seem to find the words. How could I sum up everything I had wanted to say to her over the summer?

"Bex," I said finally, my voice breaking as I said her name. "I'm sorry"

She didn't say anything. She barely looked at me. She was like a shell of her former self, so different from the focused, intense and wild sister I knew and loved. She had an odd expression on her face, it wasn't hate, but it definitely wasn't love either. It was like she wasn't sure how she felt about seeing me.

"I'm so sorry, Bex" I said repeating myself, waiting for a response. "For everything"

"I heard you the first time" she said evenly without looking at me.

"Bex please, talk to me!" I begged walking towards her. She recoiled back away from me, like I was dangerous. Maybe I was. "Just talk to me!" my voice was wavering.

She sighed, "Not right now, cam" she told me quietly. Never in my life had I ever heard Rebecca Baxter sound so defeated. "I just don't have the energy for this"

I was crying now, hot tears were falling down my cheeks. "Just tell me what I have to do, or say to make things okay again" I pleaded.

She stiffened at my words but still didn't look at me, "Things will never be okay Cam. My dad is _gone_." She said, her voice trembling. "And it's your fault. And there is _nothing_ you can do to bring him back… So please understand why I don't want to talk to you right now."

Her voice was quiet and clam as she spoke, still not looking at me. I don't know how I had expected her to respond – with more screaming maybe? I could deal with that. I could deal with an angry Bex, but not _this_.

"Just… let me passed." She said, moving around me to leave. "Go back to… whatever it was you were doing … I don't care."

I whirled around, blinking away tears. I raised my voice in frustration - not at her, but at myself. "Why did you save me then, earlier." it was a good question, but I was afraid to hear the answer. "Why did you do that if you don't care?"

She stopped and thought for a minute, finally meeting my gaze. "I don't know" she said after a while, in a small, tired voice. "I really don't know." she said and walked away.

 **Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**PLEASE READ!** **;**

 **I'll try and keep this short.**

 **So, I started this story over a year ago and my writing style and direction of the plot has changed LOADS since then. So i've made a few changes so that the story can more in the direction I wanted it to go in- a much better story line in my opinion. i decided that the story worked a lot better if Cammie and Grant weren't related, I just realised that it didn't really make sense to my story that they were related and I felt like it made the whole zammie relationship more restricted.**

 **Hope you like it anyway, I've gone back and make some adjustments if anyone wants to re-read it, but now they are not and have never been twins. honestly i don't know what i was thinking when i wrote that. Trust me this works a lot better. I hope this isn't a deal breaker for anyone and that you keep reading my story!**

 **If this is your first time reading my story then just ignore everything i've just said, anyway enjoy and please review.**

Cam P.O.V.

Sometimes people forget what makes up the Gallagher academy for exceptional young women.

 _Young women_. Girls. And most girls like to gossip, whether they're spy girls or not.

There had always been rumours at Gallagher - thanks to Tina Walters and her 'sources' - and _that_ was without any male-female interaction. So you can imagine the kinds of rumours being spread around now that _boys_ were added to the equation.

After six weeks of the Gallagher girls exchange with Blackthorn, keeping up with what was real and legend was becoming almost impossible.

I could barely keep up with my schoolwork, never mind the rumours flying around the school. And, unfortunately, nearly _all_ of them involved me. So, I tried to ignore them - they were only rumours after all.

And it was working until one Saturday morning at breakfast, when Tina leaned over the table and asked me if there was anything 'going on' between Zach and me.

I looked up from my eggs, and blinked a few times, sure that I hadn't heard properly. Because even in my sleepy state I knew that there was _no way_ Tina could possibly be serious – of all the crazy things going on in my life (like the attacks and the near kidnappings to name a few), she couldn't actually be asking about my _love life_?

"So…? Is there?" she asked again in Hungarian and I realised she totally wasn't joking. Around me girls were eavesdropping, waiting expectantly for my answer. The hall was loud but I was very aware that the girls around me weren't the only ones listening.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, confused. As far as I knew, Tina had no reason to believe we were 'together'. Nobody did.

An evil grin broke out on Tina's face. "There totally is! You're _so_ avoiding the question" she squealed – far too loud.

"Tina!" I whispered, trying to hide my embarrassment. It didn't help that my cheeks had turned a bright red. "No, there is nothing going on! Now, please be quiet"

She calmed down but still wouldn't drop it. "Then why is he staring at you?" she said, raising her eyebrows and looking very pointedly in his direction – apparently forgetting that spies are meant to be _subtle_.

He _was_ staring, I realised when I checked in the reflection of the water jug in front of me. But then again, so were countless others – all gaping at 'Cammie the Chameleon'. It didn't mean anything.

After a moment, Zach dropped his gaze and turned back to his table. I did the same. "There's nothing going on Tina," I said quietly. "I promise".

It was the truth. Nothing had been 'going on' for weeks. There had been no smirking, no teasing, no 'Gallagher girl' name-calling. We hadn't even spoken, not since the airport. Not since I told him to go away.

Part of me felt guilty – I had pushed away the one person at this school who had reached out to me, even if it had always been with a smirk. But in he heat of the moment I had sent him away.

I honestly didn't know what to think of Zach. We weren't friends, at least not anymore. We definitely weren't 'together'. We had been partners on a mission. I had trusted him and he had helped me. But that was it, nothing more.

"There is nothing at all" I told Tina again and went back to eating my eggs.

"Good morning girls" a familiar voice said from behind me five minutes later. I didn't need to turn to know it was my aunt, looking annoyingly flawless (per usual) and grinning down at us. "Budge up squirt" she said, sitting down beside me. "So, how are you all?"

There was a chorus of 'okay's and fine's as well as a few grunts from the sleepy end of the table – my end.

I noticed Abby eyeing the full plates of food in front of us. "So I take it the cooking's not quiet up to your standards? I know it's not from chef Louis" she said, taking a bite out of a croissant – _my_ croissant, "but it's still good."

"These days at breakfast there's a lot more gossiping than eating" I replied, earning a few giggles from the girls and an unimpressed look from Tina, who narrowed her eyes. I didn't care; I was too focused on knowing why Abby was here. And why she was making _small talk_ – something spies tend not to do, unless they're under a cover. Unless they're hiding something.

"Well eat up," she said, getting to her feet. "You're gonna need all the energy you can get." She winked and grinned a knowing grin at my very confused looking class then marched away. She was half way down the _very full_ hall when she called out over her shoulder. "Follow me Squirt!"

And I did - what choice did I have? I felt blood rush to my cheeks as I hurried after her, trying to ignore the hundreds of pairs of eyes following me. It was _not_ one of my most chameleon-y moments.

Once we were out of the hall of eavesdroppers and away from the watchful eyes of hundreds of spies, I spoke up. "I'm guessing that even if I ask what going on, you're not going to tell me…?"

She smiled over her shoulder and said in a very Aunt-Abby kind of way "Now where would be the fun in that?"

We arrived at her room on the second floor minutes later. You would expect the acting headmistress of the Gallagher Academy to be given a grand room, something fancy, maybe with an office or a balcony. Something different to her students. But her room was identical to all the others that I had seen at Blackthorn. Grey and boxy. Nothing special.

"Sit down," she ordered as she closed the door behind her. "I'll be just a minute" she winked and disappeared into the walk in closet. I took a seat on the end of the bed and waited until she materialized, this time holding a large square box in her hands.

"Your Mum wanted me to give you this" Abby said, passing the box to me. It was black, shallow and not very heavy with a large red bow on top, tying it all together. A gift. But why? My birthday wasn't for months…

I looked up to see my Aunt smiling sadly. "She's sorry she can't be here Squirt. You know how it is"

I did know. Since most of the students of Gallagher had stayed in Roseville, my Mum had to stay with them. She was their headmistress after all. Abby had been sent in her place, to look after the Gallagher girls. To look after _me._ I was grateful to have her here obviously, I understood, but still missed my Mother.

"Go on, open it," my Aunt urged. I looked down at the box so beautifully wrapped, that I didn't want to disturb it by opening it. Gently, I pulled on the bow, dropping the ribbon to the floor and lifted the lid.

At that moment I wasn't concerned with the rumours, or the fact that my Aunt had just called me Squirt in front of most of Blackthorn. I forgot that my best friend refused to speak with me, and for a second my mind was even clear of worries about the circle. Because staring down at what was in that box, I knew something was important was coming. Something big, and it involved wearing something very red and _very strapless._

* * *

Here's the thing you need to know about spy school. Our exams are _different_ to a normal schools – aside from the obvious fact that they're much harder than any university level exam, in subjects most people have never even heard of and rarely ever written in English (or any alive language for that matter). Yes, we have written exams. But the hard are the ones you can't always prepare for. The practical exams. And this one involved formal wear.

Walking back to my room, carrying the beautiful box containing the gown I _definitely_ couldn't pull off, I wondered what on earth Solomon could possibly have in store for this test.

I didn't need to wait long to find out. I heard Liz's frantic squeals from down the corridor as I neared my room. Inside I found Macey rubbing a panicked looking Liz's back, trying to calm her down.

"Practical exam" Macey said, as I raised my eyebrows "Tonight." She handed me a small card, which I instantly recognised to have Joe's handwriting on it. It read;

 **FRONT LAWN. 3PM. DRESS TO IMPRESS – S**

"It was here when we came back from breakfast. So were the dresses, but I see you've already got yours" Macey told me, nodding at the box under my arm.

On all the beds apart from mine, there was a box, each containing a gown. Macey's was a pile of folded dark green fabric while Liz's looked like something the tooth fairy might wear.

Bex's parcel was unopened. Untouched. Just like her bed. If it weren't for the unpacked bag at the foot of her bed, there would be no indication that Bex had ever slept there.

In six weeks Bex had barely shared a look with me, never mind a conversation. She woke every morning before the rest of us and left silently, only to return when she was thought everyone else was asleep. In class she barely participated, and would go out of her way to eat meals at different times from me, from everyone. The few times that I had been in the same room as her she had left so suddenly, it was like she was never there in the first place.

It was awful, not just for me, but Liz and Macey too, who barely saw her. Because of me. To say it had put a strain on _all_ my friends' relationships would be the understatement of the century.

The attacks, the rumours, being at blackthorn, being away from my home and my Mum – it all would have been so much easier if I had my best friend at my side.

She needed time, and I would give it to her. It was my fault. I deserved it.

I sighed and returned to reality – which at that moment was Liz having a small panic attack.

"But I'm on the research and development track! I don't do CoveOps!" she squealed, her eyes wide. "I don't have time to study, I need more time - I'm not ready!"

I shot Macey I bemused look and sat down next to Liz, taking her hand. "It's okay Lizzie, none of us have had time to prepare. It's meant to be that way."

Just then, a horrible thought seemed to dawn on her. "What if I fail?" she barely whispered, her eyes growing impossibly wide. "What if I get a _B?!"_

I couldn't help but laugh – of course, to someone who had never got lower than ninety-eight percent in any test their entire life, a B would seem like a fail.

"You'll be fine Liz, you're the smartest person I know!" I reassured my scared friend. "If you can't ace this exam then no one can."

She smiled at that and relaxed slightly, nodding to herself. "Yeah," she took a deep breath, trying to convince herself "it will be fine".

"Besides," Macey said, a small smile spreading on her lips. "Jonas will be there"

Then Liz started a whole _different_ kind of panic attack.

Zach P.O.V.

I've never seen the point in ties. A strip of decorative fabric around your neck, which somehow transforms your outfit into something smart and formal. From a spy/assassins perspective, they do make strangulation easier, but I doubt that's their original purpose…

 _Anyway_ , my point is, I hate ties. And it looked like Jonas did too, from the way he pulled uncomfortably at his around his neck, like it was some new form of torture – which it was.

After breakfast, Solomon had decided to gift us with suits in our rooms and instructions to meet out on the lawn at 3pm. It was 2:56pm and the entire senior class of Blackthorn was outside waiting, looking extremely uncomfortable – all apart from Grant who was just loving playing dress up.

I just wanted to know where we were going – since it was pretty obvious we weren't staying at Blackthorn. If Solomon thought our appearances were so important, then surely we were going somewhere we had to maintain a cover. Somewhere fancy enough to deserve tuxedos. No, definitely not Blackthorn. Then where?

Just then, I heard a wolf whistle from the back of the class and turned to see what had caused it.

Gallagher girls poured out of the front doors behind us and sauntered across the lawn. Gallagher girls like I had never seen them before.

They all were dressed in floor length gowns, of a variety of colours, cuts and patterns with elegant jewels, wearing shoes that looked the opposite of comfortable. Yep, _definitely_ far too fancy to be staying at Blackthorn.

As a group they looked stunning – there's no other way to say it. But one Gallagher girl in particular caught my eye.

Cammie stood at the back of the group, even now trying desperately not to be seen. But for once the Chameleon couldn't hide. Not from me.

It was impossible to miss her standing there in an elegant strapless red dress with her hair softy curled, falling around her shoulders. She wore light makeup that accented her eyes and delicate jewellery around her neck.

She looked beautiful. I'm not a guy who usually hands out compliments. But she did. She looked beautiful.

I shook my head slightly, snapping out of it. Stupid to get distracted like that. I'm Zach Goode. I don't get distracted.

For weeks we hadn't spoken, I hadn't teased her or even looked at her. But now she saw me. For a moment, as we locked eyes, I didn't know what to do. Say 'Hey, how are you?' or 'You look nice' – things Zach Goode would never usually say. Then, I did what I do best – I smirked.

A small smile played on her lips and she looked away, trying to hide her red cheeks. I would have gone over to her if it weren't for the humming of a helicopter approaching overhead.

Leaves blew around us as the large chopper landed and none other than Joe Solomon jumped out, serious as always.

"Everyone, get in!" He yelled over the noise of the spinning rotors, and we did. Once everyone had taken a seat lining the sides we took off, leaving Blackthorn far behind us.

"Okay everyone listen up" Solomon commanded. "Tonight will be your first practical exam of the year. Tonight you will be attending a Ball" there were a few excited (and some terrified) faces, but no one dared to speak up while Solomon was talking.

"Next year, you will be out in the real world, with real criminals. Our job is to prepare you for that world. Most of you haven't yet had the pleasure of dealing with the real thing, but tonight that changes.

"This is a _real_ ball Ladies and Gentlemen, with real people who you will be impersonating, not just some cover thought up in Langley. This exam isn't just about dressing up."

Now I was excited – it's one thing to make up a character to play, but pretending to be someone else is on a whole different level. The opportunities to slip up are endless; people know them and so you have to stay completely true to your cover. It was a challenge, one most people would run from. But I love a challenge.

"Tonight, a list of codes linked to the Bank of Ireland is to be exchanged which are to play a key roll in the robbing of this Bank" maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn I saw Cammie stiffen. "We don't know who will be exchanging the codes, but we are certain it will happen tonight. Your job is to retrieve these codes."

"The people at this Ball have never met in person, only communicating through encrypted emails and phone calls. They don't know what the others look like or else this operation would be blown."

Solomon reached behind him into a large box and began handing out large files

"We land in three hours. You have until then to learn your covers."

I opened mine. Elias J Belmont - Heir to a forty million dollar estate in York, England. Passed top-secret information to an unknown source. Unknown motive. Currently locked away in Langley undergoing questioning.

Beneath known facts about his personality, hobbies and upbringing were listed below. Looking at the picture, I could see the resemblance and understand why I was given his file.

"I cannot stress this enough, these are _real_ people." Solomon repeated. "You must _become_ them. Blow your covers and you will have me to answer to." He fixed every one of us with his cold stare, and I knew this was serious.

The message was clear - don't mess up. I wouldn't

Cam P.O.V.

I felt ridiculous. On the outside I was cool, calm and collected but inside I was screaming. The dress, though beautiful, was drawing attention. A lot of attention – something I usually made a point of _avoiding_. It was like I was wearing I huge red sign saying 'look at me'.

All night men had been coming up to me and asking to dance. Now, I know what you must be thinking – _it's a ball, you're meant to dance._ Well, I don't love to dance! The main problem – my cover did.

I was standing with a group of finely dressed elitists, listening to a large man with an impressive moustache tell a story about his last trip to Switzerland. Until that moment, I had barely had a moment to myself. Maybe, at another time, I would have been flattered by the attention, but I was on a mission – a _very_ important mission that would make up thirty-one percent of my final CoveOps grade, not to mention could stop the robbing of a bank!

After three hours, thanks to all the dancing and small talk, I had gotten nothing. No leads. No codes. Nothing. And I was starting to panic.

"And that's the last time I'll ever go skiing!" I snapped back to reality, where polite laughter surrounded me. I joined in, though there was nothing funny at all about the story.

"Would you care to dance?" a voice from behind me asked with an English accent. I was about to decline – whether it went against my cover or not, I was exhausted – when I turned and saw that the source of the voice was no other than Zach.

He was grinning that slow, mocking grin as he offered his arm. After a moment's deliberation, I took it and suddenly, we were dancing.

"Well Gallagher Girl" he said, his voice low. "Don't you look… uncomfortable" he smirked down at me and I took that moment to very deliberately stand on his toe in my very pointy shoes. The smirk faltered, just for a second. "What's got you in such a bad mood Gallagher girl? You should be having fun."

I sighed and plastered my most innocent smile onto my face. "I don't know _who_ you're talking to. And, for the record, I am having an excellent time"

"I'm glad." He replied, his English accent returning. I couldn't help but think how it suited him…

He looked good in his tux and in a tie. Really good actually. I couldn't deny that he was attractive, and he knew it. He was ruggedly handsome, tall, not too bulky, with broad shoulders, and dark hair. Up close I noticed a small scattering of freckles across his cheekbones. And his eyes, unusually green, which were – looking right at me.

I looked away, feeling my cheeks turn brighter than the red dress I wore. Zach's smirk nearly covered his entire face.

As we waltzed around the room, a weird silence fell between us. It wasn't awkward but it definitely wasn't comfortable. I had to say something. Unfortunately, I said this; "Its nice to see you're not ignoring me anymore"

I looked up to see his grin falter and fade. He sighed and looked away "what do you want me to say Cammie? I was only doing what you asked."

It was true; I had asked him to leave, even if it wasn't what I meant. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, but I knew he heard.

"Its fine, I'm over it" he replied. "Besides," he said smiling once more "you're hard to ignore" and he dipped me.

He winked and I couldn't help but smile slightly, unable to believe that I was actually having fun dancing. He placed me back the right way up and spun me out and back in smoothly.

To anyone watching, we just were two people, enjoying each others company through dance, but we were on the lookout, watching over the others shoulder. And maybe secretly enjoying the dance too.

I'm not sure how much time passed before it happened. Something caught Zach's attention behind me. His brow furrowed slightly, the only indication that anything was wrong. He was wearing his mask and I wanted to know why.

Without turning I quietly asked, "What's wrong?". No reply. He didn't seem to have heard me. "Zach?"

He looked at me finally, and quickly covered his concern with a smile. "Nothing" he was a good liar, but I didn't believe him.

We had stopped dancing and now were drawing attention, standing still in the middle of the dance floor. "I've got to go." he said suddenly, in his English accent. "Thank you for the dance" and with that, he turned on his heels and disappeared through the crowd.

I was about to follow him when I noticed Bex, standing a little way behind me. But for once it wasn't Bex that made me stop – it was the woman in a grey dress talking with her. There was something familiar about the way she stood, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I was sure I had seen her before, but couldn't think where.

I was too far away to hear what was being said, but the look on Bex's face and her body language told me it was an unpleasant conversation. Forgetting Zach, I walked towards my best friend.

But before I could reach her, Bex turned towards the stairs, making her way up them as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention. Naturally, I followed.

Upstairs it was dark and much quieter. I could hear muffled music waft its way upstairs and the clicking of Bex's high heels on the marble floor walking ahead of me. She turned hearing me approach. I expected her to run away but instead was surprised when she stopped walking and asked, "Have you seen Solomon?"

"No, I haven't… what's wrong?" I asked tentatively, amazed that she was choosing to acknowledge me. Then, in the poor lighting I noticed how her eyes were shining, the tears about to spill out. "Bex what's wrong?" I asked, this time concerned. "Who was that woman you were talking to? What did she say?"

She took a deep breath and looked away, letting a tear fall. "I don't know, but she knew who I was," her voice was shaking, "She knew who you were. And…" she looked at me, her eyes hard "she knew about my dad."

It didn't make sense, none of it made any sense. But one thing was clear – we were not safe. I swallowed, my throat had turned dry. "We need to find Joe."

"He's not here." I cold voice chimed from behind me. I whirled around to see the same women from before; she had wild red hair and a cunning look in her green eyes. Behind her stood three other men, their faces covered. In my peripheral I felt the presence of more bodies behind us, but didn't dare to turn and count how many. I kept my eyes locked on the familiar woman in front of me, pointing a gun at my best friend.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice calm though my mind was racing.

She smiled, showing too much teeth for it to be kind. "Oh my dear Cameron, I thought that was obvious." I knew the answer before she said it, but it still made my heart race.

"You"

* * *

 **Sorry its been a while since i uploaded, i had to rewrite this whole chapter and the next one since my computer crashed and i lost it ALL :( i hope you liked it, and please review, they make my day xxx**


End file.
